AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - “The peoples of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi want peace” say Catholic Bishops of the Great Lakes region

Thursday, 8 July 2004

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Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides)- “Why do we keep on hurting each other?” asks Archbishop Simon Ntamwana, Archbishop of Gitega in Burundi and this question sums what was said by the Catholic Bishops of Democratic Congo, Rwanda and Burundi at the end of the 8th Assembly of the Association of Bishops’ Conferences of Central Africa ACERAC held 5 to 7 July in Kinshasa,capital of Democratic Congo. “We must convince the groups which continue to fight and undermine peace in the region to sit at the negotiation table and to stop the violence once and for all” said Archbishop Ntamwana, who is also second vice president ACERAC.
The Bishops of the three countries are committed to supporting the peace process in the region and to are ready to make their contribution to a regional peace conference scheduled for November.
Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kisangani and President of the Congolese Bishops’ Conference affirms that people in these regions are not in favour of the wars: “War has been manipulated by people interested only in power. It is not a war among the peoples of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi”. He also said that the local Churches “desire the wellbeing of the people and have great hopes for the outcome of the Great Lakes Regional Peace Conference in preparation”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 8//7/2004 righe 23 parole 255)