"We are grateful to the Pope who has accepted the invitation to visit Cameroon made by the local Bishops’ Conference and by the head of State." That is what the apostolic nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, Mgr Eliseo Antonio Ariotti, said to the agency Fides. "We are getting ready for His Holiness’ visit. In particular, the Bishops’ Conference of Cameroon is getting prepared to ensure the Pope’s visit will be a chance for the country to grow spiritually," said Mgr Ariotti who recalled "how the Church in Cameroon is a living reality characterised by a strong religious commitment." The nuncio pointed out that "Pope Benedict XVI’s visit is to be linked to that of his predecessor, John Paul II, in 1995, whose aim was to present the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in Africa" at the end of the first Synod for Africa in 1994. This time again, Cameroon has been chosen by the Holy Father as a host city to present the preparatory document of the Synod for Africa that is going to take place in October 2009. The reason of this choice is that Cameroon is a country located in the middle of Africa in which both English and French are spoken. Hence, this is the most suitable country to present the new document to Africa Bishops". ” ” ” “
