Waiting For Pope Leo XIV: The 85-Year-old Who Trod The Path For The Pontiff - Before

Today, he is held down by age - and ill-health. But 41 years ago, he was a robust farmer with strong legs. Able to cover a whopping 100 km on foot. Just to see and attend the mass conducted by Pope John Paul II on the tarmac of Bamenda, Bafut International Airport.  
In the quiet, cool air of Nkwen, Bamenda, capital of Cameroon’s North West Region, an old man sits with his legs stretched out before him, holding on to a walking stick. The legs that now ache with the weight of 85 years once carried a fire that could not be extinguished by distance or fatigue. 

Living Bridge 
Nfor Chrysantus, a man whose life has been rooted in the soil of Tabenken village and the spirit of the Catholic Church, is a living bridge between two eras. As the Bamenda Catholic Archdiocese prepares for the historic visit of Pope Leo XIV on April 16, 2026, Chrysantus finds himself looking back at a journey that defined his life: the 100-kilometre pilgrimage of 1985.

When John Paul II Came Calling
Pope John Paul II visited Bamenda on Monday, August 12, 1985. During this historic stop, he celebrated a Mass for Families on the tarmac of the Bamenda (Bafut) Airport. It was the third day of his first apostolic journey to Cameroon, which lasted from August 10-14, 1985. The visit was a landmark event for the then North West Province of Cameroon, drawing over 100,000 pilgrims. Some of whom, like the faithful from Donga-Mantung and Bui Divisions - trekked long distances to witness the Pontiff in person.

It Was 41 Years Ago
To look at Chrysantus today is to see a man "held down by age and ill-health." But to hear him speak is to be transported back 41 years, to a time when he was a robust farmer with the stamina of a marathoner and the zeal of a saint. In August 1985, the news rippled through the hills and valleys of the North West Region like a holy thunder: Pope John Paul II was coming to the Bafut, Bafut International Airport.

The Call Of The Shepherd
The journey did not begin on the tarmac; it began in the heart of Tabenken village in Donga-Mantung Division. It was Rev. Father Robert Nginyu, the Parish Priest, who issued the challenge. He didn't just announce a visit; he called for volunteers - those "strong enough" to undertake a physical manifestation of their faith.
Chrysantus, then in his 40s, was a man of the earth. He spent his days tending to food crops and the coffee farms that sustained his family. He was strong, he was willing, and he was among the 10 or so Christians who stepped forward from his village. They travelled by vehicle to Kumbo, the heart of Bui Division, where the true test of endurance began.

100 Kilometres Of Prayer
At the Kumbo Cathedral, the small band from Donga-Mantung merged with a larger group of faithful from Bui Division. By the time they set out on foot for Bafut Airport, they were a moving congregation of about 150 souls. This was not a mere hike; it was a travelling liturgy.
"We left for Bafut... trekking, singing, making the rosary and stations of the cross by carrying a wooden cross," Chrysantus recalls.

Four Days Of Trekking
The logistics of the soul are often harder than the logistics of the body. For four days, the group carved a path through the rolling terrain of the North West. They slept in Babessi, then Ndop, and finally Bambui, before reaching the outskirts of Bamenda in Bafut. They carried no luxury, only a heavy wooden cross that was passed from shoulder to shoulder - a physical reminder of the burden of Christ.
Yet, as Chrysantus tells it, the journey was marked not by suffering, but by communal grace. In every village where they rested, the hospitality of strangers turned them into family. They were fed, housed, and cheered onward. It was a pilgrimage of the people, for the people.

The Moment Of Ecstasy
When they finally arrived at the Bamenda (Bafut) Airport on August 11, 1985, the exhaustion of 100 kilometres evaporated. As the aircraft carrying the "Holy Father" touched down on April 12, 1985, Chrysantus describes a "huge moment of ecstasy."
He could see Pope John Paull II from a short distance - a glimpse of the Vicar of Christ that would sustain his faith for the next four decades. He has no photographs of that day; there are no digital snapshots or grainy polaroids in his drawer. Instead, the image is burned into his memory, more vivid than any ink or pixel could ever be. He returned to his farming work in Tabenken changed, carrying a blessing he believed would seep into the very soil he tilled.

The Harvest Of A Blessing
Chrysantus attributes the successes of his life - and the lives of his children - to those four days in 1985. To him, the prayers whispered on the road between Kumbo and Bafut were an investment in his family's future.
"My children are doing well in life," he says with a pride that outshines his physical pain. ...