Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – “We are still far from the dream of a more beautiful Congo,” the Bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo affirmed in their message, “It’s time for us to wake up,” published at the close of their Plenary Assembly. The publication of the message, also sent to Agenzia Fides, coincides with the 48th anniversary of the nation’s independence. Taking advantage of the occasion, the Bishops make an assessment of the political and social conditions in the country.
Referring to the words of the national hymn (“work to establish a more beautiful country”), the Bishops’ Conference point out that the conditions of the local population are still desperate and that the dream of a better Congo is still far from the reality. They describe “the sight of a Congo in which the population is increasingly facing death, impoverishment, and forced into endless misery. The people see a dark future ahead and with desperate voices ask: ‘How long will this suffering last?’”
This situation shows the need for “a change of mentality and adoption of deep social reforms, especially structural ones.” Congo, the Bishops say, has the capacity to overcome this crisis. Specifically speaking, there are new institutions established through a democratic process, the presence of a large quantity of human resources and natural resources of great value.” These resources, however, should be used in a balanced and harmonious manner in order to allow for progress in the entire nation. The Bishops point out that the program for building new infrastructures has extended to the areas of the Congo, without creating areas of greater wealth, in disproportion to the rest.
Among the evils that impede progress in Congo, the Bishops mention corruption, social misery, weakness of government authorities, and insecurity. On this last point, they recall that in the message given by Pope Benedict XVI in his meeting with Congo’s President Joseph Kabila, he addressed the question of insecurity in the north and the south of Kivu, regions in the eastern part of the country where the civil war never fully came to an end. The Goma Conference of this past January, however, inspired great hope for a positive solution to the crisis in these regions; at the close of the Conference, all the forces present in the area made a commitment to make an effort to bring back peace. However, this agreement has not been honored, the Bishops say, as the various armed groups continue to threaten civilians and commit massive numbers of rape. Among the guerrilla groups that even attack Church structures is the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) of Uganda. The conditions of insecurity and weakness of state authorities allow foreign interests to exploit Congo’s natural resources without awarding a just price to the local population. The Bishops state: “We are convinced of the most urgent need to face the problem of illegal, massive, and abusive exploitation of forestry and mining resources in our country. Instead of contributing to the progress of the people, the minerals, fuel, and forests are becoming the source of our evils.”
After presenting a series of suggestions to help Congo to overcome its crisis (including the Catholic Church’s publishing of a “manual for the Congolese people on managing natural resources”), the Bishops concluded by recalling that Christian hope is based on the fact that “the present moment in history is not enclosed in itself, but open to the Kingdom of God.” (LM) (Agenzia Fides 14/7/2008)
