The Pope began his speech by recalling that the Church is celebrating the Year of St. Paul and noted that the saint’s example reminds Catholics of the "urgent need to proclaim the Gospel to everyone." This need should cause bishops who have a larger number of priests to share them with poorer dioceses "so that the proclamation of the Gospel should not suffer through lack of ministers," Benedict XVI said.
He also offered advice to bishops in their role of shepherding priests. "The quality of the bond uniting you with the priests, your principal and irreplaceable co-workers, is of the greatest importance. If they see in their Bishop a father and a brother who loves them, listens to them and offers them comfort in their trials, who devotes particular attention to their human and material needs, they are encouraged to carry out their ministry whole-heartedly, worthily and fruitfully."
While on the topic of priests, Pope Benedict shared his joy with the fact that "many young men are presenting themselves as candidates for the priesthood. Nevertheless, he emphasized the need to ensure that "serious discernment" takes place and to facilitate this by giving priority "to the choice and training of formators and spiritual directors."
The Pope pointed to numerous other bright spots within the Cameroonian Church, such as the long history of missionary and religious involvement in the country, the dedication of catechists or teachers of the faith to bringing the Gospel to the local culture and the growing number of lay organizations, particularly those that promote the dignity of women.
The Church in Cameroon also faces "many challenges," Pope Benedict noted, saying that the family is particularly of concern as modern society collides with its values.
He praised the bishops for vigorously defending the "essential values of the African family" and placing a high priority on evangelization with an emphasis on promoting "a better understanding of the nature, dignity and role of marriage, which presupposes an indissoluble and stable union."