AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - COUNT MORE ON LAY CATHOLICS FOR NEW EVANGELISATION AND PROMOTE JUSTICE AND PEACE: TWO MAIN OPTIONS IDENTIFIED BY CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ PLENARY ASSEMBLY

Monday, 14 July 2003

Kinshasa (Fides Service) – “The Church in Congo wants to count more and more on the laity in view of new evangelisation” the spokesman for the Catholic Bishops of Congo Father Valer Shango told Fides Service. This option emerged at a recent plenary assembly of the Bishops in Kinshasa 7-12 July. “In view of preparing a mature laity the Bishops intend to upgrade Kinshasa’s Catholic Faculties and they are thinking of uniting them to form one Catholic University” Father Shango said.
“With regard to the concerning events of the war- Father Shango said - the Bishops stressed the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation, the only way to overcome the logic of violence. Forgiveness must go hand in hand with the promotion of justice and compensation to affected people. This is why the Bishops are strongly in favour of an international Penal Court for crimes against humanity in Congo. The Church also has her martyrs. The latest were two priests murdered in Bunia earlier this year. This is testimony of the Church’s love for the people of Congo who have already paid a high price, at least 3 million dead, and continue to suffer.”
The Congo government, and those guerrilla groups and opposition groups which signed the peace agreement in Sun City, South Africa, in April this year, also appointed 610 members of the upper and lower houses of parliament. “One of the members of parliament nominated was Cardinal Frederick Etsou, Archbishop of Kinshasa, who however declined the position on the grounds that it was not compatible with his ministry”, Father Shango said. LM (Fides Service 14/7/2003 EM lines 25 Words: 283)


Share: