Parish Priests in DR Congo’s Bukavu Archdiocese Sign “Code of Good Governance”

According to the code, the bursar will present the monthly financial report to the priestly team and never incur any expenses of more than USD100 without permission from the community or the Parish Priest who orders disbursements.

The 10-point document also reminds Parish Priests in the Archdiocese that “10% of the parish's income is be disbursed in a transparent and honest manner, as a contribution to the functioning of the Diocese no later than the 5^th of the following month.”

Further, the Code requires that Parish Priests “prepare general annual reports (financial) of the parish to be presented in the first half of the year (June).”

The code also expects Parish Priests to foster good collaboration with the apostolic team, the local authorities, the parish council and other leaders including the Small Christian Communities (SCCs).

“The Parish Priest must obtain at least once a year, for himself or with the entire priestly team, a meeting with his Bishop and know how to collaborate and respond to the call of the hierarchy where necessary,” the Code stipulates.

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To help the Local Ordinary make a comprehensive evaluation of the pastoral life of his diocese, “the Parish Priest is also expected to submit to the Archbishop's secretariat the statistics for the year between December 26 - 31 of the current year.”

In this case, the Parish Priest is expected to “check if all the parish administrative documents, in this case: The Register of Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deceased Persons, the parish cash book, diary, the Register of the Priestly Council, parish amongst others are up to date.”

The Code also requires that Parish Priests “ensure that the boundaries of the parish are well protected and respected and that the land tenure documents are up to date and well-kept in the archives of the parish and the diocese.” 

“The Parish Priests should also think about the rehabilitation and improvement of parish buildings, even painting them every three years,” the Bukavu Archdiocesan Code stipulates.

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.