By Franckline Benjika W
Sangmelima Diocese now has a new bishop in the person of Mgr Christophe Zoa. Mgr Zoa replaces Mgr Raphael Marie Ze who has retired after the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, accepted his resignation request. He had already attained 75 years and as Canon Law recommends, he has handed over the relay baton to a more energetic prelate.
The news came in at exactly 12:00 noon on Thursday, December 4, and many people were caught off guard. Instead of the John XXIII Centre Mvolyé, where announcements of this magnitude are usually made, the news was made public at St. Laurence Parish, Mvolyé.
Anxiety mounted ahead of Mgr Christophe Zoa's appointment following a news release from the Yaounde Archbishop's office, which was read over the National Radio Station. While many speculated that the breaking news could be related to the Pope's March 2009 visit to Cameroon, they did not know it was all about the local Church, much less the Sangmelima Diocese.
Many therefore shot far off the mark as the Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, Mgr Antonio Eliseo Ariotti, instead announced that Pope Benedict XVI had accepted Mgr Raphael Marie Ze's resignation as the Bishop of Sangmelima and had appointed Mgr Christophe Zoa, who before then, acted as the Auxiliary Bishop of Yaounde, to replace him. Sangmelima is a diocese under the Yaounde Ecclesiastical Province.
Mgr Raphael Marie Ze, who took office in 1992, will however continue overseeing Pastoral activities of Sangmelima Diocese until Mgr Zoa is officially installed into his functions. Mgr Zoa is certainly prepared for his new duties as he recently returned from Rome where he took part in a training organised for newly appointed bishops.
Even though many had speculated wrongly, the news about Mgr Zoa's appointment was still received with great jubilation. However, some Yaounde Christians received the news with mixed feelings. "We are celebrating with one eye and weeping with the other" a priest in Yaounde Archdiocese said. He added that he will miss a qualified collaborator in the person of Mgr Zoa, but at the same time, rejoiced about Mgr Zoa's promotion.
Mgr Zoa himself described his appointment as "wonders from God". He also declared that he is ready to serve the Lord in Sangmelima.
Mgr Zoa was born on July 10, 1961. He attended the Sacred Heart and St Therese Minor Seminaries in Akono and Mvolyé respectively. From thence, he moved on to the Immaculate Conception Major Seminary in Nkolbisson.
Mgr Jean Zoa of Blessed memory ordained Mgr Christophe Zoa priest on July 15, 1991 under the Yaounde Archdiocese. From 2005 to 2006 he was the Yaounde Archdiocese Vicar General. In November 2006, he became the Auxiliary Bishop of Yaounde until his December appointment as Bishop of Sangmelima Diocese.
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