ARCHBISHOP PAUL VERDZEKOV: "My parents were in hiding because of their belief in Christ"

By Fr Edmond Ndzana, Beau Bernard Mutta Fonka and Aloysius Agenda

His Grace Archbishop Paul Verdzekov of Bamenda, was recently in Douala on his way to Portsmouth in England. In an interview he granted three journalists of Radio Veritas, the radio of the Catholic Archdiocese of Douala, Archbishop Paul talks about his trip to England, among many other exciting revelations about his life as a bishop. Excerpts:

Your Grace, let’s begin with this traditional African question, where are you coming from and where are you going from here?

I am from Bamenda and I am on my way to Portsmouth, England, to meet Bishop Hollis. It is now 35 years since his diocese and that of Bamenda have been in partnership. I wish, before handing over to my successor, Bishop Cornelius Esua, across this visit to make clear that the bond is between two communities, and not between the individuals leading them.

This visit therefore is historic, like that of St. Paul to the people of Antioch?

Yes, you are right. It is not a pleasure trip to England. When I requested a British visa, I was asked to travel almost 400km from Bamenda, to collect the visa, my initial reaction, was to call off the journey. Finally, I understood that out of gratitude to the two communities, I had to make this trip.

Is this trip to the UK a sign of continuity, in the service you have offered the people in Bamenda?

It is out of a sense of duty and respect for the people of God in Portsmouth and in Bamenda, it is continuity like you have said. Before I hand down the archdiocese of Bamenda to my successor, I will like very much that this link and co-operation continue.

What have been some of the fruits of this partnership and co-operation?

I can say that during this period, some ten fidei donum priests, with the permission of their Bishop and their church, have come to our archdiocese. Thanks to this partnership, the people of God in Portsmouth have greatly contributed in building our church in Bamenda through the construction of churches, presbyteries, and so on. The health sector also gained, as free drugs reached Kumbo and Bamenda from Portsmouth. I will, of course, be thanking them for all they’ve done for our church. Recently, in April, the Vicar of Portsmouth, and the president of the Portsmouth-Bamenda committee visited us in Bamenda. They should be waiting for me, and I believe they’ll receive me at Heathrow, when I arrive.

The people of Douala know your name, and wish to know your person better. You are Paul Verdzekov, what is the origin of this Russian-sounding name?

I must say since the Catholic faith reached Nso, it has greatly impacted the customs and traditions, even names. Our people where being persecuted, and at birth we were in hiding, so they called me “Verdzekov” meaning “we are in the forest.” My parents were in hiding because of their belief in Christ.

Now, let’s talk about your life as a priest. Tell us what led you to the priesthood.

I am now 74 years old. I will be 75 years come February 2006, and it will be left to Pope Benedict XVI to have the final say. I am born in Shisong, near Kumbo on Thursday 22 January 1931. A British missionary called John Scot, of blessed memory, baptized me and it was in Shisong that I later went to school.

If you were in secular life, it would be at this age that you would tell funny old tales to your children by the fireside. What are some of those memories you can share with us?

I think mainly about the arrival of Franciscan Sisters in Shisong on October16, 1935. I believe next October they will celebrate their 70th anniversary here.

They too have done an extra-ordinary missionary work. Is it true that many are called in your village to the priesthood and to become bishops too?

Well, I really can’t say if our people are called more than any other people to become priests, but I know that Cardinal Tumi, Bishop Bushu of Yagoua, and myself all hail from Nso.

It would therefore seem that the Catholic faith has planted very deep roots in the region? Yes, it does seem so. I agree that there are solid Catholic Christians in that area.

Your Grace, who inspired you to join the priesthood?

It was a parish priest in Shisong called Father, Ivo Stockman, a Dutchman. When I was young, he used to tell me about Pope Benedict XV. It was thanks to Benedict XV that he became a priest. He told what a great Pope Benedict XV was, how he had written an apostolic letter, whose title was ‘Maximum illud’. Fr. Stockman was a seminarian for the archdiocese of Utrecht in his country when the Pope wrote this letter. Father Stockman said after he had read that letter, he decided to become a Mill Hill missionary. So when I was still very small, he always talked to me about ‘Maximum illud’, and about Benedict XV and how he owed his way to the priesthood thanks to this great Pope.

I noticed that there hasn’t been much link made in the papers between Benedict XVI and Benedict XV, and it’s good to hear you make that link.

When the new Pope took the name of Benedict XVI, it marked me deeply, because it was Benedict XV that inspired my priest, who in turn inspired me and put me on the road to the priesthood as well. Yes, I am very very happy that our present Holy Father is called Benedict XVI. I remember a French Jesuit, Père Jerlaut, already a man of advanced age, who taught me in at the Gregorian Institute. I was at the Faculty of Social Sciences, and I recall him talking to me about Benedict XV, and his effort to put an end to the First World War. He said he was a great Pope who had written a very beautiful encyclical called Ad Beatisimi, his very first, in order to put an end to the war. I am really glad that the present Pope reminds us so much of who Benedict XV was. Many people do not know him

Tell us about the seminary you attended.

I attended the minor seminary at Sasse. When I finished studies in Bambui, in late 1950, Bernard Fonlon, who had ended his studies in philosophy, came to Kumbo. He asked if I still wanted to become a priest but I told him that I felt it was a little late, and hoped to be integrated into any church community that could accept me as a Reverend Brother. Shortly thereafter, he went to the Rector of the minor seminary at Sasse, and told him I was a qualified primary school teacher, who wanted to enter the seminary. That is how I got there a year after.

Your leadership has helped nurture the Archdiocese of Bamenda these past years, what do you think those coming after you should retain?

As you know, there is no school where Bishops are trained. You do ask, yourself to become a priest, but as for becoming Bishop, it is other people who decide. You are just surprised when you are asked to take on that task. So I do not know if I have any particular leadership skills, it is left for other people to judge that.

From your experience as a priest and a bishop, what d you see as the main difference between the two functions?

There is a very great difference between the two roles, in the sense that as a Bishop, you are in-charge of a particular Church, and very often you are the last to know about certain difficulties that may arise in the Diocese. There is also the grace of the state of being bishop, I believe, that Jesus is the one in charge of his Church, so he helps. You have cited Bernard Fonlon, who is known to many Cameroonians, and who seems to have marked people by his charisma. I can say after our Lord Jesus, I owe my vocation to Bernard Fonlon. At times, I ask myself, if the Church ordained me, why not Bernard? Like an ignorant man, I said God wanted him to receive this training, but needed him elsewhere, in secular life. When he was leaving the seminary, without the ordination, a priest told him “I know why you must leave. Do all in your power to have such an education that when you speak, they will stop to listen.”

Your Grace, do you think that some day we shall be able to venerate Bernard?

His hearing has not begun yet, for all I know, but it’s a pity, we are not doing enough to provide the information that the Congregation for the Cause of the Saints demands. Personally I think Bernard merits it. Someone who knew him well in Nigeria, Cardinal Arinze, has asked me, why we haven’t started the canonizing process of Bernard.

Who should initiate his cause for canonization, Your Grace?

It is the particular Church that baptized him, and in which he grew up. It is not the Holy See that begins such a cause. It is that local Church that must carry out its duty. Just like for Fr. Baba Simon, a priest of what is now the diocese of Edea, formerly the diocese of Douala. Then he worked in North Cameroon, what is now the diocese of Maroua- Mokolo. They have done their work as a local Church, at the end they submit the matter to the Holy See, with all the documentation and all that they know. If there is a cult for that Christian, the Church then asks its members to pray for that canonization.

What major seminary did you attend, was Bambui existing then?

No, the major seminary of Bambui opened on September15, 1973, under Cardinal Christian Tumi, who was a priest then. Before then all West Cameroon candidates, went to Enugu major seminary. But there was a civil war in Nigeria that lasted till early 1970s that forced our candidates to go to Ibadan. Then others were sent to Rome, like my Co-adjustor, Bishop Esua. It was after the war that we sent our students to Enugu once more. After a trip to Enugu I saw the conditions there and understood that it was time we started a major seminary here. With the assistance of the priests, the Bamenda ecclesiastical province made a request that was backed by the national Episcopal conference. Then Rome accepted.

Where were you ordained? It was in Rome on December 20, 1961. Don’t you think that going far to study produced stronger and tougher priests?

I do not know whether going to Enugu made tougher or stronger priests, but a Bishop has the final responsibility to call somebody to holy orders. I think there is a great advantage for him to know his candidates, properly. When they went to Enugu they were far away. The bishops in Cameroon could not really know them, in spite of what the formators may do, it is the bishop’s responsibility to choose his priest. It is an advantage for us that we have 5 major seminaries now in Cameroon, one for every ecclesiastical province. It makes it easier for the Bishop to know his priest and his family.

You studied social sciences in Rome, what certificates did you obtain?

I prefer not to discuss that. In my opinion there is nothing greater than being able to celebrate Christ’s presence in a mass or being able to grant forgiveness in the name of God. There is nothing better a bishop can give his priest. That said, when I was in Rome, I studied at the Propaganda Fide Urban College where I obtained a degree in theology. Then I was sent to the Gregorian University, where I studied social sciences and obtained a Ph.D.

Catholic education has been the pride of the Bamenda archdiocese. Does this glory shine on?

Well that I do not know, I won’t claim to be an expert on that. But it just happens that whenever the GCE results are published, I realize that we can be proud of them. Members of the board recommended these students in places like Sacred Heart College, St Bedes, Our Lady of Lourdes, and St Joseph’s Mbengwi, for study programmes, to encourage these budding scientists by giving them places in foreign universities.

Your Grace, when you returned home, to Cameroon what was your first assignment?

When I came back in 1965, The Bishop of Buea, Jules Peters, sent me to Tiko as Vicar, then Fiango, before allowing me follow my studies. When I returned, he sent me to the Catholic Information Service in Buea, before I became the bishop of Bamenda.

It would therefore seem that you have always been linked to Catholic education.

Well, I have never really taught in any of our Catholic schools. Prior to entering the junior seminary, I was a teacher in-charge of the practicing school in Mbengwi. There were three of us, who had just completed from the training center in Bambui: Bishop Pius Awa, Mr. Francis Nkwain, who later became a politician, and me. So, that is really the only teaching experience I’ve ever had.

Your Grace, you were the first English-speaking Cameroonian bishop at the time, and you inherited the work of missionaries. Tell us what you think bout their work in Cameroon.

As I said earlier, the Diocese of Bamenda was under the Diocese of Buea. I was later told that Bishop Peters wished for Kumbo and Bamenda to be jointly created. But Rome decided otherwise. It was 12 years later that Kumbo was created. I must say I have a profound admiration for the work done by Mill Hill missionaries, and I rightly told their leader in 1970 that the history of the growth of the church in Cameroon, revolved around his group. They were, for the most part, Dutch, although you also hade Irish and English missionaries as well.

Cardinal Tumi has always mentioned with nostalgia, the guidance you gave him on his first mission, asking him to go out and do his job. What do you recall of this?

It was important for me to make clear to him that there were many documents of the universal Church, on the running of major seminaries. So I wrote to him, in my name and in the name of Bishop Awa, reminding him to follow those documents to the letter. I told him that even if any of us suggested anything that would contradicts the rules of those documents, it was his duty to reject it outright. He had to follow the directives of the Universal Church. I was very happy that when he started the Major Seminary, the possibility was given to us to have it affiliated with the Urban University in Rome. So our students could also obtain degrees in Philosophy and Theology. That was not the case in our own time.

When Cardinal, (then Father Tumi), was appointed bishop, what was your reaction?

Well, I was sick, in Soppo at the time, he came and saw me and told me he had been informed by the Nuncio that he was chosen to be the Bishop of Yagoua, and for him it was a terrible cross. I said well, you remember the lamnso catechism, that we learnt when we were small. That asked what is the Catholic Church- and it was answered, the Catholic Church is the family of all Christians, priests and bishops, and it said they are all obedient to the Successor of St Peter, who looks after them all. And if the Successor of St Peter had spoken, I did not see how he could say no. So it was his duty to go to Yagoua.

When you look back at the evolution of your archdiocese, its parishes and priests, even without dwelling too much on the figures, just tell us what you feel.

I’ll say the Bamenda Archdiocese has 28 parishes, and we could have created more, only for want of staff. There is a lot of work that my successor will definitely handle. The presbytery is dominantly Cameroonian, with a few missionaries, but as you know, the vocation has dropped now, especially in Europe. Nevertheless, it is such a grace, that everybody should seek, which is having a diverse clergy.

What was your first Episcopal target?

I’d say the formation of Diocesan clergy and catechists was priority. Bishop Peters had emphasized that in accordance with the Vatican II council. We had a catechism school in Nguti, which we unfortunately dropped after a few years. Today, I have re-launched this effort, with the collaboration of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, in England. Also the Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa, helped us much. At the 7th Ecclesiastical Congress of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province, we tried to create all conditions necessary for implementing the Pope’s desire.

How many catechists do you have in the training?

We presently have about 12 catechists in training in Bafut. The priests at the Vianney Spiritual Center in Bafut, help with their formation. I think the formation is quite solid and the people at the Mary Veil institute in Birmingham expressed surprise at the very high standard of training they are receiving.

What role do Small Christian Communities play in your archdiocese?

We have recently had an open day in Bamenda, to educate the clergy on the value of Small Christian Communities. Some parishes in Bamenda, where these communities flourish, shared their experiences with us. It was impressive to hear laymen and women competently sharing their experience with us in an eloquent manner.

After 35 years of hard work, what is the fondest memory you have?

My pride is that we have a major seminary in Bambui. The Rectors that have followed have maintained the tradition that Cardinal Tumi left there. I’m also happy that institutes of consecrated life have continued to grow in our diocese. Every now and then, the Lord Jesus continues to send us different institutes of consecrated life, which means that young people, who wish to join the clergy, can inwardly choose what environment to integrate, and serve the Almighty God.

Comments

[Boniface Ndemping Wewe -The Ngonyama (lion) of Brooklyn]

I just logged onto the internet this afternoon and through divine intervention,came across this fantastic and inspirational interview.Despite my iniquities,trials and tribulations, I am proud to have been goaded to the Lord and the Holy spirit as evidenced by confirmation by Bishop Verdzekov in 1974.I am proud of my bishop and the other elders mentioned here-Late Dr. Fonlon and Hon Francis Nkwain who assisted in my earthly pilgrimage.
I am refreshed just seeing the image of my bishop once again!May God bless you during your trip and subsequent retirement.I hope to pay a courtesy call to your grace this Fall when I visit Cameroon.
Thank you your Grace to all the people of God that you ministered to (myself inclusive)through baptism,confirmation and other sacraments !
The Zulus say Bayete (king of kings) for any job well done.I am privileged to say Bayete Archbishop Paul verdzekov!
Most Sincerely in Christ,
Boniface Ndemping Wewe -The Ngonyama(lion)of Brooklyn
Baptized and confirmed in Mankon
Currently a parishioner at St. Matthews Catholic Church,Brooklyn-New York

[Canute Tangwa]

I will remember this interview for a long time.It was quite thoughtful of father and the youngmen at Radio Veritas.However, there are some points I would like to share.First lesson:Humility. Archbishop Verdzekov prefers to be called Father Verdzekov.Second lesson:He is unassuming.He does not like to roll out his academic certificates as others are wont to do.Third lesson:He is a good shepherd (selfless) who cares about his flock that is the reason why he went to England to re-concretize the relationship between his province and the diocese of Portsmouth so as to smooth the path of his successor. Fourth point: when he was editor of Cameroon Panorama he used to write under the pen name: Biybe Bara. His articles were satirical and critical of society and the gov't.He was far ahead of journalists of his day and time. I read his articles exactly 20 years after he published them in Cameroon Panorama thanks to my Dad's well constituted library. Fifth lesson: he is an accomplished mediator, conciliator and peacemaker. Evidence: he played no small role in the creation of the GCE Board.Sixth lesson: he is a human rights crusader. Witness the key role he played during the State of Emergency in Bamenda and his bold stance during the trial of Bishop Albert Ndongmo in the early 70s.
Lastly, Father Verdzekov is a man of many parts. There is the deeply religious and spiritual side of him, there is the political, human rights and social side of him. I wish him well in his endeavours.

[Cyril Enongene]

Good interview, sorry to have read it so late. I lived here in Portsmouth and could have liked to meet the Bishop personally.

[Ma Mary]

Unlike many great Africans with important stories, Archbishop Verdzekov should not allow himself to depart from this life without putting his story in writing. I hope he is reading this. Please, write your biography. Get a writer to help you, to prompt and prod, preferably not a priest, they will likely be too deferential to ask hard questions. Do not dissappoint your children by leaving nothing like the others.

[Paul mengnjoh]

It was terrific to read your interview with his Grace,Archbishop Verdzekov.He is really an unassuming man of God and I guess that is how he will be remembered.I hope those coming after him will learn to tell the humble truth like he has done on this interview.Please let the good prelate know that we would love to read his autobiography if he ever gets to writing one.He is indeed a great treasure to the Church in Cameroon and a great role model for priests everywhere.Happy retirement,Bishop.Ad multos Annos!!!.

[Afor Bernard]

What a fascinating interview!Is his Grace tired of serving the Lord? If 'no', then why retire? The Church needs people like you at this particular juncture.The world and Cameroon in particular is plaqued with all sorts of evil. Why not stay back and continue hitting the nail on the head as you have been doing? Remember, once a bishop, a bishop for ever.