DR Congo’s Lifting of Moratorium on Death Penalty “a step backwards”: Cardinal Ambongo

When those in power “don't serve the interests of the people, they are the ones we have to start considering as traitors, because they don't assume the roles for which they have been entrusted, that is, service to the population,” the Congolese member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap) said.

“I wouldn't want us to take advantage of a vague notion of traitors to settle political scores,” the Local Ordinary of Kinshasa, who doubles as the President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) warned.

With the lifting of the moratorium in DRC, the death penalty is to be carried out following any judicial conviction for offenses that include criminal conspiracy, treason, espionage, participation in armed gangs, participation in an uprising, crimes against humanity, military conspiracy, and rebellion, among others. 

In the March 17 interview with KTO, Cardinal Ambongo also addressed a number of topical issues in his country including violence in the Eastern Province, and the Church’s stance on political and social issues.

“I always say the Catholic Church, and especially the Cardinal, is not neutral. Jesus Christ was not neutral,” he said, and added, “The political class would like to see the Catholic Church, and especially the Cardinal of the Congo, maintain an attitude of neutrality with regard to their actions.”

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The Congolese Cardinal, who has been a member of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinals (C9) since his  appointment in October 2020 and reappointment in March 2023 went on to clarify the position of the Church against oppressors, seeking justice for the oppressed and marginalized.

“But if the Catholic Church comes to this, it's because the Church has taken a stand for the powerful against the little ones. But we have taken up the option of accompanying our people in their quest for a little more dignity,” he said, and added, “Naturally, our words, our stance, irritate those who make the people suffer.”

Reflecting on the violence in the Eastern part of the country, the Archbishop Kinshasa highlighted bad governance and the influence of western countries as some of the reasons behind the security challenge. 

He said, “There's an internal cause; what we call bad governance on the part of the Congolese themselves, because we can ask ourselves why this is only happening in the Congo and not elsewhere.”

“From independence to the present day, we have the impression that the Congolese man, the Congolese human being, has never been at the heart of the concerns of our leaders,” Cardinal Ambongo further said, lamenting bad governance.

Another reason behind the violence in the Eastern part of DRC, he said, “is a sort of combination of economic interests. Big oil, forestry and mining companies want to operate in the Congo, but they sometimes use neighbouring countries, hence the current anger in the Congo towards Rwanda.”

“The majority of the population is the victim of all this violence, and we have some absolutely terrible accounts of the violence taking place in the country,” Cardinal Ambongo lamented.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.