AFRICA/DR CONGO - Constitutional Referendum: “voting is a moral and civic duty” say Catholic Bishops but the Church does not tell people how to vote

Kinshasa (Fides Service) - The Bishops’ Conference of the Democratic Republic of Congo has urged citizens to take part in the constitutional referendum on 18 December, but gave no indication as to whether people should vote for or against the new Constitution.
The position of the Catholic Church in Congo was explained by Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kisangani, president of the Bishops’ Conference at a media conference at Kinshasa Inter-diocesan Centre on 12 December.
Archbishop Monsengwo read a Conference statement which said “voting is a moral duty and the results will make our country move forward or backwards”. The Archbishop explained that the Church cannot give indications on how to vote because the ecclesial community is not a political community. Quoting Vatican II’s Gaudium et Spes document, Archbishop Monsengwo said “The Church is the sign and guarantee of the transcendent character, innate rights and fundamental freedoms of every human person”.
The Church, therefore according to the President of the Congolese Bishops, “appeals to the consciences of the sons and daughters of our country to be fully aware of what is at stake and to use responsibly the freedom to make a judicious decision”.
Archbishop Monsengwo said the people must be informed about what they must do on the day of the referendum and that the Church had done much to prepare electors for the vote. “Christians are aware of the questions of the constitution and we would have liked to see the campaign reach the interior of the country” the Archbishop said with regard to a government referendum campaign. For its part the local Church helped to foster awareness among the people with its own CARTEC (Co-ordination for a successful transition). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 15/12/2005 righe 30 parole 344)