When elections are rigged and injustice reigns, the Church in Cameroon often retreats behind the walls of neutrality, calling for peace only after the streets have burned. But peace without truth is not peace — it is submission to oppression.
Across history, the Church has stood as a moral compass in times of darkness. It was the voice of conscience against apartheid in South Africa, a shield for the weak during civil wars, and a pillar of resistance against colonial injustice. Yet today, when truth is being buried beneath the rubble of political manipulation, too many pulpits have gone quiet.
We hear sermons about patience, unity, and forgiveness — all noble virtues — but rarely do we hear the courage to name evil for what it is. When ballot boxes are stuffed, results altered, and citizens’ voices silenced, where is the Church’s prophetic voice? When the poor suffer under the weight of corruption and greed, why do we hear only whispers instead of thunder from the altar?
It has become a tragic routine: the Church waits until chaos erupts, then organizes “peace walks” and “prayer sessions.” But what about before — when citizens are crying out for justice, when institutions are manipulating the truth, when leaders trample the will of the people? Is silence then not complicity?
True peace is born from justice. Praying after the fire has started may soothe the conscience, but speaking before the match is struck could prevent the fire altogether. The Church must reclaim its prophetic mission — not as a political party, but as the fearless guardian of truth and justice.
Cameroon needs a Church that dares to speak when others are silent. Because when truth is silenced, even the prayers for peace begin to sound hollow.
