German Bishop Joins Protesters over Cameroon Visa Refusals

By Michael Lawton - Catholic News Service
COLOGNE, Germany (CNS) - World Youth Day officials opened a "pilgrim point" for young people arriving at Frankfurt International Airport, but the dedication was overshadowed by protests at the restrictive manner in which visas are being issued to pilgrims from poorer countries.
Among the protesters Aug. 11 was Bishop Franz Kamphaus of Limburg, who criticized the Foreign Ministry's refusal of visas to pilgrims from Cameroon. The bishop said the Foreign Ministry's visa policy "once more affected the poorest continent."
The Limburg Diocese had sponsored a group from its sister diocese in Yaounde, Cameroon. But only two -- a
priest and a nun - of the 14 applicants were granted visas. With Bishop Kamphaus were Catholics from Frankfurt who were expecting to host the visitors for the Aug. 11-15 "Days of Encounter" before the Aug. 16-21 World Youth Day activities. Protesters carried banners addressed to German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer: "Do you have to do that, Mr. Fischer?"
Markus Dillmann, spokesman for the youth department of the Limburg Diocese, told Catholic News Service that the German Embassy said the visas were being refused because "there was inadequate family and economic rootedness in Cameroon." Dillmann said that argument was "hair-raising" because the young people were firmly rooted in their diocesan youth work; one even was married, had a family and worked for the diocesan youth office.
Bishop Kamphaus went to Cameroon in early 2005 and invited young people in Kumbo to Germany. Those who were to come were selected by their parishes and vouched for by their bishop. The Limburg Diocese raised the money to pay for the return flights and the Cameroonians' stay.
The diocese organized a week of events for the visitors and found out the day before the visitors were due to arrive that it would have to cancel the program.
Dillmann said other groups planning to visit the diocese also were refused, including 600 people from the Philippines, 12 from the Democratic Republic of Congo and a group of Haitians. Although these people were less known to the diocese and could have had irregularities in their visa applications, he said, diocesan officials were completely confident about the Cameroonians' applications.
As of Aug. 11, four other dioceses had reported visas refused to pilgrims who were due to attend the "Days of Encounter."
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Germany was trying to keep a careful balance between presenting Germany as an open, hospitable country and preventing abuse of the relaxed entry regulations for World Youth Day participants - a problem faced by most hosts of the international youth festivals.
Under the relaxed regulations, pilgrims could get free visas for the period of the event, provided they applied in person and had a supporting letter from their bishop. The ministry spokesman said applicants also had to have valid passports and documents and had to show a compelling reason to return home, such as evidence of a job or family commitments.
But, said the ministry spokesman, in every case where there was a problem, the Foreign Ministry got in touch
with the World Youth Day office to see if it could be solved.
August 12, 2005 at 09:11
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