By Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroon.
The Apostolic Nuncio of Yaoundé, Cameroon, has made public a letter from Pope Francis accepting the renunciation of Mgr. Simon Victor Tonye Bakot, and the Archbishop of the Yaoundé Metropolitan Cathedral.
On Monday, July 29 2013 memo from Pope Francis in Rome, Mgr. Tonye Bakot, voluntarily, ceases to oversee the management of the Archdiocese of Yaoundé, in conformity with Canon 401 of the Canon Law and appoints Mgr. Jean Mbarga, Bishop of Ebolowa as the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Yaoundé.
Archbishop Simon Victor Tonye Bakot
In the spirit of Pope Francis’ letter, the case of Archbishop Tonye Bakot is renunciation and not resignation. Canon 401 provides that a Bishop can give up the management of his Diocese in the situation of a serious health problems or personal reason(s).
Observers of Archbishop Tonye Bakot have been quick to recall the 2008 ghastly motor accident he was involved in, saying despite the best medical attention he has been receiving, the prelate has not been the same.
While some lay Christians were taken aback after they got win of the Papal message, scholars on the Catholic Church like Prof. Jean Paul Messina, lecturer on Church History at the Catholic University in Yaoundé has been telling journalists that a renunciation could be motivated by tiredness from a Bishop.
According to Prof. Messina, Mgr. Tonye Bakot will be remembered for his vigorous fight against homosexuality in Cameroon.
The varsity don explained that Mgr. Tonye Bakot remains a Bishop but without a Diocesan jurisdiction to manage and he (Mgr. Bakot) will choose where to spend the rest of his life.
Following the designation of Mgr. Jean Mbarga, the Bishop of Ebolowa, as the Apostolic Administrator of the Yaoundé Archdiocese by Pope Francis, the former is expected to manage the Archdiocese of Yaoundé until a new Bishop is appointed by the Pope.
Mgr. Tonye Bakot was appointed Archbishop of Yaoundé in October 2003. He took over from Archbishop Andre Wounking, deceased.
