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Religious Revival in the Roman Catholic Church and the Autochthony–Allochthony Conflict in Cameroon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

Piet Konings
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Abstract

This article explores the reasons for, and the repercussions of, a virulent and protracted crisis in the South West Province of anglophone Cameroon during the 1990s caused by the emergence of a Pentecostalism-inspired revival movement within the Roman Catholic Church. The so-called Maranatha movement and main-line Catholicism were viewed by both parties as incompatible, almost leading to a schism within the Church. The originally internal Church dispute gradually became a particularly explosive issue in the region when the politics of belonging, fuelled by the government and the regional elite during political liberalisation, became pervasive.

Résumé

Cet article explore les raisons, ainsi que les répercussions, d'une crise virulente et prolongée dans la province camerounaise anglophone du Sud-Ouest dans les années 1990, entraînée par l'émergence d'un mouvement de renouveau de la foi d'inspiration pentecôtiste au sein de l'Eglise catholique. Le mouvement ainsi appelé Maranatha et le catholicisme traditionnel étaient jugés incompatibles par les deux parties, manquant de peu d'entraîner un schisme au sein de l'Eglise. Ce qui fut au début un conflit interne au sein de l'Eglise s'est progressivement transformé en question particulièrement explosive dans la région, à un moment où la politique d'appartenance, alimentée par le gouvernement et l'élite régionale au cours de la libéralisation politique, devenait omniprésente.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 73 , Issue 1 , February 2003 , pp. 31 - 56
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2003

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