By Mildred Ndum Wung Kum
The unity between Pope Francis and the Archdiocese of Bamenda is now perceptible. The pallium on the shoulders of His Grace Andrew Fuanya Nkea is an emblem of papal union and authority.
Photo: Nkea in kneeling posture, Parolin sitted as he imposes pallium
The Archbishop received the pallium from Pietro Cardial Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican on January 31, 2021 during a Eucharistic celebration at the St Joseph Piazza Bamenda, Cameroon.
The ceremony brought together administrative, traditional and religious dignitaries among them the president of the National Episcopal Conference His Lordship Abraham Kome and the Minister of States, Secretary General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngo, plus hundreds of Christians, priests and religious.
Catholic teachings note that among the liturgical insignia of the Supreme Pontiff, one of the most evocative is the pallium made of white wool, symbol of the bishop as the good shepherd and, at the same time, of the Lamb Crucified for the salvation of the human race.
The pallium is the symbol of a special relationship with the Pope and expresses besides the power, that, in communion with the Church of Rome, the metropolitan acquires by right in his own jurisdiction. According to Canon Law (canon 437), a metropolitan must request the pallium within three months of his appointment and may wear it only in the territory of his own diocese and in the other dioceses of his ecclesiastical province.