Pope Francis has received high marks from around the world for his various statements placing himself on the side of the poor and oppressed in the world. His own comparatively less luxurious life is seen as proof that he eschews excesses. Just last week, he fired a German bishop who is reputed for his excesses.
Below, however, is the picture of the Pope and the wife of Cameroon's dictator, Paul Biya. Successive Popes have authorized Paul Biya's dictatorship in Cameroon by cozying up to him. For over thirty years now, Paul Biya has forced himself on Cameroon's people, rigging one sham election after another and ruining the economy in the process. Under his watch, the country has become increasingly corrupt and more and more young people are fleeing the country. Paul Biya, a Roman Catholic, has received the blessings of every Pope from John Paul II to Pope Benedict to now Pope Francis. The rhetoric of Pope Francis will ring hollow if he continues to cozy up to the dictatorship of this Roman Catholic in Africa. His failure to call out Paul Biya for his dictatorship in Cameroon will only continue to demonstrate the double standards that has marked some of the pronouncements of the church. It would demonstrate that when the Pope talks about overcoming poverty, his thinking is not about the poor of Africa.
Below, however, is the picture of the Pope and the wife of Cameroon's dictator, Paul Biya. Successive Popes have authorized Paul Biya's dictatorship in Cameroon by cozying up to him. For over thirty years now, Paul Biya has forced himself on Cameroon's people, rigging one sham election after another and ruining the economy in the process. Under his watch, the country has become increasingly corrupt and more and more young people are fleeing the country. Paul Biya, a Roman Catholic, has received the blessings of every Pope from John Paul II to Pope Benedict to now Pope Francis. The rhetoric of Pope Francis will ring hollow if he continues to cozy up to the dictatorship of this Roman Catholic in Africa. His failure to call out Paul Biya for his dictatorship in Cameroon will only continue to demonstrate the double standards that has marked some of the pronouncements of the church. It would demonstrate that when the Pope talks about overcoming poverty, his thinking is not about the poor of Africa.
1 comment:
There are points of corrections to be made here: President Paul Biya is not a dictator, he has not forced himself over the years on Cameroonians and has rigged no election. These are false allegations aimed at discrediting a democratically elected President who rules his people in pure respect of the laws and rights
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