At Buea Diocese 75th Anniversary: Bishop, Priests Call for Elevation of Buea to Archdiocese

The Bishop of Buea, Mgr Michael Bibi, and the presbyterate of priests have called for the Diocese of Buea to be elevated to an archdiocese, seeing the giant accomplishments and growth the diocese has registered from its creation as the first diocese in Cameroon. The fervent call started with the priests of tha diocese during their meeting with the Apostolic Nuncio to the Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, Archbishop Jose Avelino Bettencourt, on the eve of celebrations to mark the 75th Anniversary of the diocese. The diamond jubilee celebrations of the first-ever diocese in Cameroon which took place in a High Mass officiated by apostolic nuncion sandwiched by the Archbishop of Bamenda cum National Episcopal Council, His Grace Andrew Nkea, and a cross-section of archbishops and bishops from the national territory, at its eye-catchy Divine Mercy Co-Cathedral Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

During the monumental event, the Diocese of Buea was highly extolled for its mother church character by various speakers – a diocese which has grown by leaps and bounds procreating other tentacles of the one church of God within the Cameroonian justification. In sum, Bishop Bibi submitted through the apostolic Nuncio that the diocese is mature enough and can shoulder the responsibility of being a diocese.
The Diocese of Buea, cradle of the Catholic church in Cameroon, saw it’s canonical erection on April 18, 1950, by Pope Pius XII as the first diocese in Cameroon, with Mgr Peter Rogan as its first Bishop.
Through many years of change, development and growth, the diocese today has His Lordship Michael M. Bibi as its fifth residential Bishop, following his predecessors; Emeritus Bishop Emmanuel Bushu, Bishop Pius Awa, Bishop Jules Peeters and poineer Bishop Peter Rogan. The diocese covers Fako Division of the South West region with 37 parishes divided into 7 deaneries.

The milestone diamond jubilee celebrated under the theme, “Proclaim the good news. I am with you always,” took place at Divine Mercy Co-Cathedral Buea. It brought together Bishops from across Cameroon, priests, religious, members of religious communities, government officials and thousands of Christians.

In his homily the Nuncio acknowledged great mourning within the global church following the transition of Pope Francis but urged the faithful to remain people of hope, “we are not saddened because we are people of faith and hope,” he said.
Archbishop Jose praised Buea for its foundational role in the Church’s mission in the Country, describing the Diocese of Buea as the promised land, hailing it as the mother of the Church in Cameroon. He honoured the resilience of early Christians and missionaries of Buea who laid the foundation, “We recall the first great followers of christ in our land, the great catechists, the great mothers and fathers who held steadfastly to the Christian faith and spread the good news even in the face of difficulties,” he said.

Archbishop Jose sounded a word of caution to all Christians, “if eternal life doesn’t mean anything to you, if eternal life is not your goal, then you are not a Christian”. He re-echoed the message to the anniversary theme, “We believe in Christ, risen from the dead to eternal life that is why we are driven by the theme of the 75th anniversary celebration, proclaim the good news, I am with you always,” he said.
Acknowledging the struggles of the church, the nuncio called the Christians to be united and be messengers of peace and unity. He likened the importance of unity to a thread. “Consider a single thread, fragile, easily broken, with slightest pressure, it is gone. But a rope is different, a rope is made of many weak threads woven together into a strong, unbreakable bond. That is unity,” he told the Christians.

In his address by Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of the Bamenda Arch Diocese, he acknowledged Buea diocese’s pioneering role. “Buea Diocese you are our mother, you will always be our mother, nobody can take this natural right away from you,” he hailed. “Buea Diocese was created in 1950. The next dioceses to be created in this country were created in 1955. So, for five years Buea diocese was the only Diocese in this country,” he added.
Archbishop Nkea congratulated Bishop Michael Bibi on his appointment as the chairperson of the Communication Commission of the National Episcopal conference highlighting it as a sign of confidence in his leadership.

Bishop Bibi Emphasised that the legacy of the diocese of Buea is one of faith. A faith that has been passed down, shared within the community and continues to sustain the people of the Diocese.
Bishop Bibi pointed out that while the Celebration is going on the Christians should not forget the challenges the Christian community faces. He announced a diocesan synod that will be held by May 2026 to evaluate the progress made and identify areas that still need attention.
The event featured special awards recognising individuals who have contributed immensely to the growth of the church and the society. Among the awardees were some outstanding personalities; Emeritus Bishop Immamuel Bushu, Bishop George Nkuo, Archbishop Andrew Nkea, Dr. Francisa Biaka, Dr. Mbah, Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai and Oki Johnson, Head of Catholic Men’s Association.

In a heartwarming gesture, friends of Bishop Michael Bibi led by Dr Mbah in the USA have gifted a brand-new 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser VX to support his pastoral activities. According to the donors, they were push to source this gift by the recent road accident which almost took the life of the prelate. Dr Mbah said it was necessary for Mgr Bibi to carry out his missionary work in a more secure vehicle.