On Thursday 20 March 2021, the Provincial of the PAO, Fr Mathieu Ndomba, S.J., officially inaugurated the Centre for the Therapy and Protection of Minors (CTP) in Nkolmeyang, a suburb of Yaoundé, Cameroon. The ceremony took place in the presence of many Jesuits working in the Cameroonian capital, lay collaborators, members of the religious communities collaborating in this work, as well as a large number of villagers of this locality. Three stages marked this ceremony. First, there were three allocations, then the blessing phase and finally a convivial meal.

Father Epiphane Kinhoun, Director of the CTP, and also Vice-Rector of the Catholic University of Central Africa, opened the series of allocations. After welcoming the guests and expressing his gratitude to the Provincial for his distinguished presence, he outlined the rationale, purpose and the various stages of the CTP project. From his speech, it emerged that the idea of the CTP was born from the scandal of sexual abuse in the Church, more specifically, from the invitation of Pope Francis, exhorting bishops and superiors of religious orders to "to do everything possible to uproot from the Church the plague of sexual abuse of minors and to open a path of reconciliation and healing for those who have been abused" (Cf. Obs. Rom. of 5 February 2015).

The CTP is, therefore, a concrete response of the Jesuit Province of West Africa to the Pope's call for healing and accompaniment of abused people in the context of African societies. But in addition to the curative approach, the CTP also has a preventive approach through education, training and instruction programmes for church personnel. Does not the oracle of the Lord say that my people perish for lack of knowledge? (Hosea 4:6). To meet the demands of its mission, the CTP has set up a team with multidisciplinary skills, for psychological, psycho-social, spiritual and human accompaniment of any person in need.

From a chronological point of view, the CTP started in 2015-2016 with the observation of the reality of abuse of minors in the Church that is ours. Accompaniment of some of these people was initiated in the city of Yaoundé. In 2017, the project was presented to the PAO Consult, which approved it with the recommendation of Father Hans Zollner, S.J., member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. This year 2017 was also marked by the search for funding. The year 2018 is devoted to the development of the training programme and the signing of an agreement with the Salesian Sisters to have a clinical psychologist for the launch of the project. In 2019, the brochure that is to serve as the basis for the training courses in the Centre is made available to the bishops and superiors of the religious congregations. The year 2020 was decisive. The project was approved by the Archbishop of Yaoundé. The necessary funding for the renovation of the CTP premises was obtained. In 2021, the first stage of the finishing touches were made with the supply of water and electricity. The house has 8 bedrooms, 2 large halls and a chapel, a kitchen and a bathroom.

The house has 8 bedrooms, 2 large rooms and a chapel, each with a capacity of 50 places, 2 offices and various spaces for listening, spiritual renewal and rest. The Provincial named the house "Chez Damien", in memory of the late Cameroonian Jesuit Father Damien Kono, a native of Nkolmeyang. As for the management of the centre, apart from the Director, the team is composed of two Jesuits (Father Albert Lorent and Brother Abdoulaye Etienne), three psychologists, an engineer, an accountant, and two maintenance staff. Father Epiphane's speech awakened us to the circumstances and the various stages that led to the advent of the CTP.

The Father Provincial delivered the second address on Damien Kono, recalling the various responsibilities he held within the Jesuit Province of West Africa: Chaplain at the CCU (Catholic University Centre) in Yaoundé, Superior of the Hurtado community in Yaoundé, and finally, Director of the Libermann College in Douala. He insisted that as a Jesuit, Father Damien was driven by the principle of working for the glory of God. Therefore, he did everything in the name of the Society of Jesus and for the Society of Jesus to which he belonged. The Provincial expressed his joy that the house initiated by Damien would serve as the seat of the CTP. He especially noted that the mission of psycho-spiritual renewal to which the CTP is dedicated is in perfect symbiosis with the recent universal apostolic preferences of the Society of Jesus, namely: 1) to show the voice of God through the spiritual exercises, 2) to accompany youth, 3) to walk with the poor and vulnerable, and finally, 4) to take care of our common house.

Also, because of its specific vocation, the Provincial stressed that the CTP is not only at the disposal of the Church of Cameroon, but also of the Churches and religious communities of the sub-region. He exhorted the inhabitants of Nkolmeang to be open and collaborative, explicitly encouraging them to give a warm welcome to the users of the Centre.

The series of speeches ended with a moving intervention by Father Damien Kono's older brother. He said that in a conversation with his younger brother, Damien had made it clear that the construction project he was initiating was intended to help others. Damien was aware that, like Moses, he would not see the promised land himself. Thus, invoking the Provincial's words on the third apostolic preference, Father Damien's older brother said that he was happy to see the project initiated by his younger brother come to fruition as a mission of the Society of Jesus.

After the three speeches, the solemn blessing of the CTP premises by the Provincial was marked by two movements: 1) the prayer of blessing according to the rite contained in the book of blessings of the Roman Catholic Church; 2) the sprinkling of each of the rooms of the house and of certain areas of the immense courtyard. This blessing phase itself ended with the cutting of the ribbon, thus marking the official inauguration of the CTP for the benefit of the ecclesial work of protecting vulnerable people and all those who are in search of psycho-spiritual renewal. The ceremony ended with a fraternal meal to the satisfaction of all.

The guests from Yaoundé withdrew at around 1.45pm, leaving the people of Nkolmeang to continue the celebration in jubilation to the rhythm of the country's music performed by the mothers, young people and children. Hopefully, the joyful exuberance that marked the end of the ceremony will be reflected in the lives of those who will attend the CTP.

By Thomas Ahoussi, S.J.