By Prof. Januarius Asongu
The recent decision by the Cameroon Episcopal Conference to train seminarians at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Bambui (STAMS), on safeguarding minors and vulnerable persons is a welcome and commendable development. It signals an important recognition that the Church must take seriously its responsibility to protect the vulnerable and to form future priests with a clear understanding of moral boundaries, human dignity, and pastoral responsibility. Formation that addresses abuse prevention is not optional; it is essential to the integrity of the priesthood and the credibility of the Church itself.
My hope, however, is that this training will not be limited to STAMS alone but implemented across all seminaries in Cameroon. Safeguarding must become a universal and standardized component of priestly formation nationwide. Yet even this would not be sufficient. Training seminarians while leaving out priests, bishops, and formation personnel risks addressing only part of the problem. Seminarians learn not only through formal instruction but through observing those already in ministry. If priests model inappropriate relationships, boundary violations, or abuse of power, seminarians absorb those patterns regardless of what they are taught in the classroom.
The painful reality is that clerical sexual abuse and misconduct are not abstract possibilities in Cameroon. Stories—often whispered but widely known—have involved priests, formation personnel, and even bishops. When individuals of questionable character rise through ecclesial ranks, it signals a deeper cultural problem. Safeguarding training must therefore involve everyone in the chain of authority, from seminarians to bishops. Otherwise, reform risks becoming symbolic rather than transformative.
As someone trained in psychology, I believe safeguarding must include rigorous psychological screening, ongoing formation in emotional maturity and boundaries, and independent reporting structures. But formation alone is not enough. Accountability must also include consequences.
In countries such as the United States, priests have gone to prison for abusing minors. Civil authorities have prosecuted clergy, and courts have affirmed that no religious office places a person above the law. These painful but necessary measures have helped establish a culture in which abuse is no longer shielded by institutional protection. Cameroon must move in the same direction. The time has come for civil authorities to hold religious leaders accountable when credible allegations arise. The Church, like many institutions, has often been protective of itself and its clergy. Without external accountability, meaningful reform may never fully take root.
Church leadership must also take decisive internal action. Priests who commit abuse or exploit the vulnerable must be removed permanently from ministry. Defrocking cannot remain rare or symbolic; it must become a real and enforceable consequence. Protecting the faithful must take precedence over protecting institutional reputation.
The Cameroon Episcopal Conference deserves recognition for initiating safeguarding training at STAMS. But safeguarding cannot end in the seminary classroom. It must extend to priests, bishops, and the entire ecclesial structure. It must involve psychological formation, institutional reform, and cooperation with civil authorities.
Ultimately, safeguarding is not about preserving the Church’s image. It is about protecting human dignity. It is about ensuring that those entrusted with spiritual authority reflect the moral integrity they proclaim. And it is about building a Church in Cameroon where trust is not assumed—but earned through transparency, accountability, and justice.
Professor Januarius Jingwa (JJ) Asongu holds a PhD Psychology among other academic credentials. He is also the Chancellor, Saint Monica University, Buea, Cameroon, and the American Institute of Technology, Freetown, Seirra Leone. He has written over 20 books and over 100 peer-reviewed articles and his main work is The Splendor of Truth.