By Walter Wilson Nana & Sylvester Atemnkeng
Buea, Cameroon.
Rev. Fr Andrew Nkea Fuanya, Priest from Buea Diocese has been designated Coadjutor Bishop of the Mamfe Diocese by Pope Francis I.
The formal announcement was made Wednesday, July 10 2013 at 11:05 AM by His Lordship, Immanuel Banlanjo Bushu, Bishop of Buea Diocese in the Regina Pacis Cathedral, Small Soppo, Buea, amidst thunderous applause from the Priests and lay faithful, across Buea Diocese, Mgr. Bushu had invited to be part of the proclamation of the papal decision.
Mgr. Bushu read; “On this day of our Lord, Wednesday, July 10 2013, Pope Francis I has appointed Rev.Fr Andrew Nkea Fuanya, Priest of Buea Diocese and currently Registrar of the Catholic University of Cameroon, CATUC, in Bamenda, Coadjutor Bishop of Mamfe.” He will add; “That is the message I have for you from the See of Rome. Any other information will be brought to you – the Christians subsequently.”
Mgr Nkea fielding questions from the press after his election as Coadjutor Bishop of Mamfe
Elected Coadjutor Bishop, Mgr. Nkea was born August 29 1965 in Widikum, Archdiocese of Bamenda. He will do his priestly formation in St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, STAMS, in Bambui, Bamenda, North West Region and then ordained into Priesthood in 1992 in Buea Diocese by Bishop Emeritus, Mgr. Pius Suh Awa.
2003, he obtained a Doctorate in Canon Law at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome.
Christians came in their numbers to listen to the message from Rome
After his ordination, Fr. Nkea served in several pastoral, administrative and academic roles. These include; Curate in St. John Bosco Parish, Mbonge, Parish Priest of St. Luke’s Parish, Nyandong – 1994 – 1995, Chancellor, Buea Diocese from 1995 – 99 and from 2003 – 2007.
2007 – 2010 he moved on as Lecturer of Canon Law at John Paul II Institute of Theology, JOPASIT, Buea.
2008, he left JOPASIT for STAMS, where
Fellow Priests raise up Mgr Nkea in ecstasy after he was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Mamfe
he was Dean of the Department of Law until 2010. Still within the period 2007 – 2011, Fr. Nkea was Defender of the Bond at the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of First Instance of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda.
Since 2007, he has been member of the Episcopal Commission for the Doctrine of Faith of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon.
2008 he joined the membership of the formation team of STAMS. 2009, he was appointed Secretary General of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference and in 2010 Registrar of CATUC. 2011, he became the Judicial Vicar of the Tribunal of First Instance for the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda as well as voted pioneer President of the Central African Association of Canon Law in Yaoundé.
Reactions
After the papal release was read, Mgr. Nkea found it a huge surprise to his person. “It is a big surprise to me. But I rely on the grace of God, who has called me. Same grace of God will assist me because it is the Church that has done it. I will do my best not to disappointment the Holy Father.”
Rev.Fr Vincent Mesue, Parish Priest of St. Charles Lwanga, Molyko, Buea, expressed excitement. “This is a happy occasion for our Diocese, where a Priest has been taken and made a Bishop. God should continue to give him the graces he needs to carry on his new responsibilities,” he said. Same atmosphere of gratitude rocked Sr. Judith of the Sisters Servant of Mary, Ministers of the Sick. “This is something we have been praying for. The Bishop in Mamfe really needs somebody to assist him. We are grateful for this gesture from God,” she noted.
For Fr. Patrick Malange, Priest of Buea Diocese, it was; “Joy, joy, joy. I groomed and worked with Mgr. Nkea and saw him as an egg that will blossom to a chicken for the Church to consume.”
Fr. Denis Dang, Parish Priest of Bota, Limbe saw it as the handiwork of the Holy Spirit. “We were not looking forward to this. And since the Vatican has chosen one of us, we thank God. He will be up-to-the-challenge because he knows the Church Doctrine, the Law and having been a Chancellor of a Diocese for eight years, he knows the administration of the Church,” he mentioned. Sr. Elizabeth Mbinkar of Sisters of the St. Therese will corroborate; “This is the working of the spirit. Buea Diocese is privileged because we have been giving other Dioceses Bishops. We are happy and we praise God for him, who will guide him as a shepherd.”
Louisa Tangie, a Christian of Buea Diocese found the appointment timely; “He is God-sent and a great news for us. This is a sign of good tidings in Buea Diocese, giving a Bishop to Mamfe. I pray that he listens to what God will tell him.”
Eugene Kebei, a Christian of Small Soppo, Buea, saw a square peg in a square hole. “Judging from his academic and spiritual background, Mgr. Nkea is the right person to succeed Bishop Francis Teke Lysinge when the time comes. Let all the Christians and Priests in Mamfe Diocese rally behind Mgr. Nkea. He will make the Diocese to blossom,” he said.
Following the catholic dogma, Mgr. Nkea’s Episcopal Ordination is due in Mamfe, ninety days after the official statement from the Holy See.
Other Priests from Buea Diocese, who have been appointed Bishops include; Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua of Bamenda Archdiocese, Mgr. Francis Teke Lysinge of Mamfe Diocese and Mgr. George Nkuo of Kumbo Diocese.
