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Yaoundé, April 3, 2021 (KAP / KNA) Cameroonian Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi dies As local media reports, the former Archbishop of Douala died in a clinic on Saturday night at the age of 90. He was considered one of the most prominent representatives of the Catholic Church in Cameroon, who repeatedly advocated for balance and democracy in the African country. Until the last year of his life, Tumi had been committed to finding a peaceful solution to the conflict between the English and French-speaking parts of Cameroon. Among other things, he planned several conferences to find solutions to the crisis. In November 2020, the cardinal was kidnapped and briefly released.
Born on October 15, 1930 in Kikaikelaki, Cameroon, Tumi studied theology and philosophy at seminaries in Nigeria, Lyon, and Freiburg. In 1966 he was ordained a priest and worked for several years as a pastor in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Yagoua in 1979 and five years later Archbishop of Garoua. In 1988 the Pope appointed him cardinal and in 1991 made him responsible for the Archdiocese of Douala.
From 1985 to 1991, Tumi was president of the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon and from 1990 to 1994 president of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar. Tumi repeatedly sided with the political opposition in Cameroon and was considered one of the most energetic opponents of President Paul Biya, whose violent fight against separatists he criticized.
In October 2005, he caused a stir when he issued testimony endorsing the use of condoms for married couples when one spouse is infected with HIV to prevent the other spouse from becoming infected. In 2005, the cardinal attended the conclave in Rome. The then elected Pope Benedict XVI. accepted Tumi’s age-related resignation in 2009.
