By DOH JAMES SONKEY
Religious leaders converged on the Mvolye Minor Basilica in Yaounde on Sunday, September 29, 2019 for a church service initiated by the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, to pray for a smooth holding and successful outcome of the major national dialogue holding at the Yaounde Conference Centre from September 30 to October 4, 2019, under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute.
The President of the Republic, Paul Biya was represented at the special church service by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji who was flanked by the Governor of the Centre Region during the event.
The ArchBishop of Yaounde Archdiocese His Lordship Jean Mbarga prayed God to give Cameroonians brotherly and peaceful hearts to understand and accept each other during the Major National Dialogue.
Rev Gustav Ebai of the Council of Protestant Churches told The SUN that “Am happy authorities listened to our request that God should be placed first above everything so that He takes control of the deliberations and recommendations.”
Reacting to reporters at the end of the interreligious service, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji said “this interreligious service today is very important. I thank all the religious authorities for asking all Cameroonians to go to the dialogue table with peaceful hearts ready to listen and accept each other. They said the dialogue will replace war with understanding, misunderstanding with comprehension; it will make us to look in one direction. Our Head of State, H.E President Paul Biya has always given a spiritual dimension when it comes to important things in Cameroon. That is why it was very important to organise this interreligious service so that all the stakeholders, religious authorities come and pray for this major national dialogue so that we will all appear there with peaceful minds. I heard in the sermon how St Paul said that all authority comes from God. And that those who do not respect authorities are resisting to an order established by God. And St Paul said it very clearly that if you do not respect the authority, you can be subjected to punishment and that it is important to respect the authority not because you are afraid of being punished but because of your conscience. So, the Major National Dialogue will be a forum where people will come and exchange ideas for the interest of Cameroon. President Paul Biya said we should organise this service in prelude to this national event so that people will come to Yaounde with appeased hearts. We shall all be going there because we are positive and because we are going in for something which is very important to our nation.’’