Christian Tumi

{{Short description|Catholic cardinal (1930–2021)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = Cardinal | honorific_prefix = [[His Eminence]] | name = Christian Tumi | honorific_suffix = | title = [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Douala|Archbishop Emeritus of Douala]] | image = Wiyghan Tumi.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Tumi in September 2019. | native_name = | native_name_lang = | church = [[Catholic Church]] | archdiocese = Douala | appointed = 31 August 1991 | term = | term_start = | enthroned = | term_end = 17 November 2009 | quashed = | predecessor = Simon Tonyé | successor = [[Samuel Kleda]] | opposed = | other_post = Cardinal-Priest of Santi Martiri dell'Uganda a Poggio Ameno (1988-2021)  | ordination = 17 April 1966 | ordained_by = Julius Joseph Willem Peeters | consecration = 6 January 1980 | consecrated_by = [[Pope John Paul II|John Paul II]] | cardinal = 28 June 1988 | created_cardinal_by = John Paul II | rank = [[Cardinal-Priest]]  | birth_name = Christian Wiyghan Tumi | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1930|10|15}} | birth_place = Kikaikelaki, [[Cameroons]] | death_date = {{death date and age|2021|4|3|1930|10|15|df=y}} | death_place = [[Douala]], Cameroon | buried = | resting_place_coordinates = | nationality = | religion = | residence = | parents = | spouse =  | children = | occupation = | profession = | previous_post = {{unbulleted list|[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Yagoua|Bishop of Yagoua]] (1979–82)|[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Garoua|Coadjutor Archbishop of Garoua]] (1982–84)|Archbishop of Garoua (1984–91)|President of the Cameroon Episcopal Conference (1985–91)}} | education = | alma_mater = [[University of Fribourg]] | motto = ''Me voici je viens faire ta volonté'' | signature = | signature_alt = | coat_of_arms = Coat of arms of Christian Wiyghan Tumi.svg | coat_of_arms_alt =  | module = | other = }} {{Infobox cardinalstyles| cardinal name=Christian Cardinal Tumi| dipstyle=His Eminence| offstyle=Your Eminence| See=Douala| image=Coat of arms of Christian Wiyghan Tumi.svg| image_size=200px|}} '''Christian Wiyghan Tumi'''{{Pronunciation needed|date=April 2024}} (15 October 1930 – 3 April 2021) was a Cameroonian prelate of the [[Catholic Church]] who was archbishop of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Douala|Douala]] from 1991 to 2009. He was bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Yagoua|Yagoua]] from 1980 to 1982. After serving as coadjutor bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Garoua|Garoua]] beginning in 1982, he was bishop there from 1984 to 1991. He was made a [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]] 1988. Tumi was the first and so far the only cardinal from Cameroon.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Foute |first1=Franck |title=Décès de Christian Tumi, premier cardinal camerounais |url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1148608/politique/cameroun-deces-de-christian-tumi-premier-cardinal-dafrique-centrale/ |access-date=4 April 2021 |work=Jeune Afrique |date=3 April 2021 |language=fr}}</ref>

==Early life and ordination== Born on 15 October 1930 in Kikaikelaki, a small village near [[Kumbo]], in the Nso clan of the [[Northwest Region (Cameroon)|Northwest Region]] of Cameroon, Tumi studied at local seminaries in Cameroon and [[Nigeria]]. He trained as a teacher in Nigeria and London, then earned a licentiate in theology in the [[Catholic University of Lyon]] and a doctorate in philosophy at the [[University of Fribourg]], [[Switzerland]]. He was ordained a priest of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Buéa|Diocese of Buéa]] on 17 April 1966, and then served as a [[Vicar]] in [[Soppo]] for a year before becoming a professor at Bishop Rogan College's seminary. After studying abroad from 1969 to 1973, he returned to his diocese and was named rector of the seminary in [[Bambui]].

==Bishop and cardinal== [[File:Cardinal Tumi Grand Dialogue (cropped).jpg|thumb|Cardinal Tumi Grand Dialogue (cropped)]] On 6 December 1979, Tumi was appointed the first bishop of the Diocese of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Yagoua|Yagoua]].<ref>{{cite book |access-date = 4 April 2021 | page= 252 | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-72-1980-ocr.pdf | date= 1980 | volume = LXXII }}</ref> He received his episcopal consecration on 6 January 1980 from Pope John Paul II. On 19 November 1982 he was named archbishop coadjutor of Garoua<ref>{{cite book | access-date = 4 April 2021 | page= 174 | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url =http://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-75-1983-I-ocr.pdf | date= 1983| volume = LXXV }}</ref> and he succeeded as archbishop there when his predecessor's resignation was accepted on 17 March 1984.

In 1982 he was elected vice president of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon and in 1985 its president, a post he held until 1991.

[[Pope John Paul II]] made him a cardinal on 28 June 1988,<ref>{{cite web | access-date = 4 April 2021 | url = http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/it/speeches/1988/june/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19880628_concistoro.html | language = it | date = 28 June 1988 | title = Concistoro per la Creazione di 24 Nuovi Cardinali nel Palazzo Apostolico Vaticano | publisher =Libreria Editrice Vaticana }}</ref> assigning him as [[Cardinal-Priest]] the title of Santi Martiri dell'Uganda a Poggio Ameno on 28 June 1988. On 6 July 1991 he was named a member of the [[Pontifical Council for Dialogue with Non-Believers]].<ref>{{cite book |access-date = 5 April 2021 | page= 908 | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-83-1991-ocr.pdf | date= 1991 | volume = LXXXIII }}</ref> Tumi was named the Archbishop of Douala on 31 August 1991. He was one of the [[Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 2005|cardinal electors]] who participated in the [[Papal conclave, 2005|2005 papal conclave]] that elected [[Pope Benedict XVI]].<ref name="Precedence">{{cite web|url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2005/04/18/0225/00461.html|title=Elenco degli Em.mi Cardinali che entrano in Conclave secondo il loro rispettivo ordine di precedenza (Vescovi, Presbiteri, Diaconi)|date=18 April 2005|website=[[Holy See Press Office|Sala Stampa della Santa Sede]]|language=it| trans-title=List of the Eminent Cardinals entering into Conclave according to their respective order of precedence (Bishops, Priests, Deacons)|access-date=4 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309025237/https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2005/04/18/0225/00461.html|archive-date=9 March 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

Tumi was critical of the government's attempt to suppress Anglophone culture in Cameroon and advocated a federation to allow the Francophone and Anglophone regions to coexist in Cameroon.<ref>{{cite interview | work = Crux | access-date = 4 April 2021 | url = https://cruxnow.com/interviews/2020/01/cardinal-tumi-says-things-improving-in-cameroons-troubled-anglophone-areas/ | title = Cardinal Tumi says things improving in Cameroon's troubled Anglophone areas | date = 27 January 2020 | first =Christian | last = Tumi }}</ref>

In 2009, Tumi led thousands in a march in [[Douala]] to protest Cameroon's endorsement of the [[Maputo Protocol]], a women's rights charter promoted by the [[African Union]]. Critics of the document believe it will ease restrictions on abortion and promote homosexuality.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2009/07/11/01011-20090711FILWWW00489-marche-anti-avortement-au-cameroun.php | language = fr | agency= [[Agence France-Presse]] | newspaper = Le Figaro |title=Marche anti-avortement au Cameroun |date= 7 November 2009 | access-date = 4 April 2021 }}</ref> In a 2007 sermon he denounced [[child sexual abuse]] as a scandal and the shame of contemporary society.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cardinalrating.com/cardinal_115__article_5160.htm |title=Les abus sexuels sur les jeunes sont un véritable scandale, et une honte pour notre société |access-date=12 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204135258/http://www.cardinalrating.com/cardinal_115__article_5160.htm |archive-date=4 December 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2005, Tumi told an interviewer that the use of condoms as protection against AIDS within marriage "makes sense", though he doubted the Church's prohibition on their use would change.<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.derstandard.at/story/2219268/kamerun-kardinal-fuer-kondome-zum-schutz-vor-aids-in-ehe | language =de | access-date = 5 April 2021 | title =Kamerun: Kardinal für Kondome zum Schutz vor Aids in Ehe | date= 24 October 2005 | work = Der Standard }}</ref> [[File:Cardinal Tumi Grand Dialogue.jpg|thumb|Cardinal Tumi Grand Dialogue]] Tumi was kidnapped on 5 November 2020, and released unharmed on 6 November 2020; his captors released video footage of their interrogation of Tumi.<ref name=BC>{{Cite news|date=6 November 2020|title=Cameroon: Kidnappers free former Archbishop Tumi near Kumbo|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54833039|access-date=6 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | access-date = 5 April 2021 | url = https://www.aciafrica.org/news/2315/what-cameroonian-cardinal-was-told-by-his-captors-during-nightlong-abduction | publisher = ACI Africa | title = What Cameroonian Cardinal was Told by His Captors During Nightlong Abduction | date= 9 November 2020 | first = Jude | last = Atemanke }}</ref>

==Death== Tumi died in a hospital in [[Douala]] on 3 April 2021 in the early hours following an illness.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://algerie9.com/archbishop-emeritus-of-douala-christian-cardinal-tumi-dies-at-90|title=Archbishop Emeritus of Douala, Christian Cardinal Tumi dies at 90|publisher=Algerie9|date=3 April 2021|access-date=4 April 2021}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> After a video of his corpse in the hospital bed was released on the [[Internet]]; authorities denounced it as a violation of privacy and ordered an investigation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/cameroon-investigations-opened-after-video-of-cardinal-tumis-corpse-goes-viral/|title=Cameroon: Investigations opened after video of Cardinal Tumi's corpse goes viral|work=Journal du Cameroun |publisher=Journal du Cameroon|date=3 April 2021|access-date=4 April 2021}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

;Additional sources * {{cite book | first = Martin | last = Jumbam | title = My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi | publisher = Langaa RPCIG | date = 2014 }}

==External links== {{wikiquote|Christian Wiyghan Tumi}} {{commons category}}

* {{cite web | access-date= 30 October 2017 | title= Tumi Card. Christian Wiyghan | publisher= [[Holy See Press Office]] | url= https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_tumi_cw.html | url-status= live | archive-date= 4 September 2017 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170904064404/https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_tumi_cw.html | df= dmy-all }} *{{cite web | website = Catholic Hierarchy | url = https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/btumi.html | title = Christian Wiyghan Cardinal Tumi }}

{{s-start}} {{s-rel|ca}} {{s-bef|before=Louis Charpenet}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Yagoua|Bishop of Yagoua]]|years=6 December 1979 – 19 November 1982}} {{s-aft|after=Antoine Ntalou|rows=2}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef|before=Yves-Joseph-Marie Plumey}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Garoua|Archbishop of Garoua]]|years=17 March 1984 – 31 August 1991}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef|before=Jean Zoa}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Episcopal Conference of Cameroon|President of the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon]]|years=1985 – 1991}} {{s-aft|after=Jean-Baptiste Ama}} {{s-break}} {{s-non|reason=Titular church created}} {{s-ttl|title=Cardinal-Priest of Santi Martiri dell’Uganda a Poggio Ameno|years=28 June 1988 – 2 April 2021}} {{s-aft|after=[[Peter Okpaleke]]}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef|before=[[Gabriel Gonsum Ganaka]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar|President of Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar]]|years=1990 – 1994}} {{s-aft|after=[[Gabriel Gonsum Ganaka]]}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef|before=Simon Tonyé}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Douala|Archbishop of Douala]]|years=31 August 1991 – 17 November 2009}} {{s-aft|after=Samuel Kleda}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tumi, Christian}} [[Category:1930 births]] [[Category:2021 deaths]] [[Category:Cameroonian Roman Catholic archbishops]] [[Category:Cameroonian cardinals]] [[Category:Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II]] [[Category:People from Northwest Region (Cameroon)]] [[Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Douala]] [[Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Garoua]] [[Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Yagoua]]