YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon (CNS) Catholic clergy who were abducted by separatists in Cameroon have pleaded with their bishop to secure their release in a video. It is quite difficult, and we are only begging . that you do everything possible to get us out of here. It is a matter of do or die, Father Cornelius Jingwa, one of the priests, said in the 45-second video. If you look at us, you ll see our faces are very dismal and unhappy.
The video, released on social networks Oct. 19 and run by th
Five priests, a nun, and three lay people were abducted Sept. 16, 2022, after gunmen attacked their parish in Mamfe Diocese, Cameroon. / Credit: Mamfe DioceseACI Africa, Oct 19, 2022 / 16:00 pm (CNA).A video has emerged on social media that shows five Catholic priests, a nun, and three others who were kidnapped last month in Cameroon s Mamfe Diocese pleading with their local ordinary to secure their release.On Sept. 16, unidentified gunmen attacked St. Mary s Catholic Nchang Parish of Mamfe Diocese in Cameroon. Nine people were abducted and buildings on the parish premises, including the church, were burned down. The attackers kidnapped Father Elias Okorie, Father Barnabas Ashu, Father Cornelius Jingwa, Father Job Francis Nwobegu, Father Emmanuel Asaba, Sister Jacinta C. Udeagha, Nkem Patrick Osang (an assistant catechist), Blanche Bright, and Mme. Kelechukwu.In the 45-second video circulated Oct. 19, Father Jingwa, one of the abductees, provides updates about their welfar.
“We will not pay a dime” to ransom the nine Catholics kidnapped from a Catholic church on September 16, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda has announced.
Bishops in Cameroon have spoken out against a recent kidnapping of clergy and laypeople at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church, an outgrowth of separatist violence hurting the country.