Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service)- “I said this also to the Holy Father: I will never tire of being with young people, listening to them and helping them achieve their aspirations” said Cardinal Bamungwabi Nzabi Etsou archbishop of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Rome for the five-yearly ad limina visit to pray at the tombs of St Peter and St Paul and report to the Pope on the joys and fears of Catholics in Congo.
“Young people are the hope of the Church and the country and I am deeply concerned like all the other Bishops in our country with regard to the increasing numbers of street minors” the Cardinal said. “These gangs of minors range from five year old children to fifteen year old teenagers and they live on the streets. The phenomenon is complex, there are three kinds of street minors: some work in mines and are paid a pittance; some are former child-soldiers used by various now demobilised militia groups adversaries in the civil war; and some have been expelled from the families accused of being evil “witchdoctors”, the cause of family disasters etc”.
“In collaboration with the Brothers of Charity I have regular meetings with these youngsters and Kinshasa diocese offers them various kinds of assistance, for example we have Professional Training Centres where they learn to be bricklayers, carpenters etc.”, said the Cardinal underlining that: “the Church would never abandon these street minors because they are our children, we baptised them, and also out of a sense of social responsibility. Youth gangs are fast becoming a serious threat to public order. They are real gangs with first headman and second headman. There have already been cases of police officers disarmed by determined and well organised young criminals”.
With regard to the future of his country Cardinal Etsou said “the local Church hopes the transition process will come peacefully to an end with free and democratic elections, and we have done much to contribute towards this goal. We will carry on the work of educating the people to democracy as we did in view of the constitutional referendum which, I would stress, took place peacefully and without incidents” (see Fides 19 December 2005).
“We always make it clear that the Church never takes political sides. Our concern is simply to help our sons and daughters find their own way. Our purpose is to supply Catholics and anyone else if they wish, with the means of making a free and conscious choice. Politics is a field for the laity it is a responsibility they must shoulder” the Cardinal said. “The people responded well. I would mention in particular lay associations, for example the Catholic Intellectuals Association and the Catholic Women’s Association whose members range from simple housewives to professionals with a university degree”.
With regard to the Church’s ministry Cardinal Etsou underlined the necessity to continue all over the country providing support for Basic Ecclesial Communities (see Fides 16 January 2006), because these communities are the foundation of the Church-Family-of-God”.
“A field in which the Church can be more present in my opinion is social communications” Cardinal Etsou added. “We need a Catholic television station to counter increasing influence of pseudo religious sects which use the media extensively. Foreign sects with many financial means at their disposal attract young people through music and promises of happiness which later proves to be ephemeral. The phenomenon is a threat to the fundamental work of evangelisation carried out by missionaries. However the Catholic Church is capable of meeting the challenge because the message she bears is one of authentic faith, hope and charity” the Cardinal concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 20/1/2006 righe 52 parole 668)
