Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Fides Service)- Schools, medical centres and soon a Radio station are the main services offered by the Catholic diocese of Popokabaka in south west Congo, according to the local Catholic news agency DIA.
Popokabaka has 16 parishes and about 40 basic church communities grouped in 4 deaneries. The Diocese gives special attention to youth pastoral by means of educational movements for children and young people.
Education is an important mission for this local Church. The diocesan Education Commission oversees 266 schools of all grades: 3 kindergartens; 201 primary schools; 61 middle schools and two Pedagogical Institute. It also runs an orphanage.
In the field of healthcare the diocese office for health assistance oversees five public hospitals 200 km apart from each other. It is also planning programmes to stop the spread of sleeping sickness and leprosy.
The diocese also has its own NGO Proyaka which is in charge of road maintenance along the Bukanga-Lozno/Kasogo-Lunda main road.
The diocese has a Development Office which at present helps to provide assistance for 40,000 Congolese expelled from Angola, where they had entered illegally to search for diamonds (see Fides 26 April 2004 and 3 June 2004), who are living in a camp run by the diocese.
This pastoral and social assistance work will now be enriched with a diocesan radio station which is expected to begin broadcasts in 2005.
Popokabaka diocese has an area of 45,000 sq km and a population of 792,000 including 495,446 Catholics. In his pastoral mission the Bishop, Bishop Louis Nzala Kianza is assisted by 39 diocesan priests, 23 religious priests, 36 Brothers and 82 women religious (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 16/7/2004 righe 28 parole 289)
