Catholic Parliamentarians in DR Congo Caution Youths against Incitement to Violence

“We invite all other sectors of the population to refrain from any act of violence - physical or verbal - against property belonging to the Church, private individuals or diplomatic structures,” the Catholic MPs say.

They add, “Likewise, we discourage any hostile acts against Congolese or foreign citizens living in the DRC.”

“This message is particularly addressed to young people: don't allow yourselves to be manipulated by those who lack constructive ideas to save the country from implosion,” the Catholic MPs say.

They continue, “If, in a context of acute socio-economic crisis, you are tempted to succumb to temptation, ask yourself whether the few thousand Congolese francs you are being offered to ransack, or plunder are worth their weight in gold.”

“How many of you, or people close to you, have lost their jobs or seen their activity drastically curtailed due, among other things, to the departure of their employer because of insecurity?” the Catholic MPs pose.

They reiterate their commitment to national unity and pledged to push for legislative changes that would address DRC’s pressing challenges.

“To all of you: be the guardians of national unity and cohesion. We will also do our part: as parliamentarians, we are committed to promoting the adoption and full implementation of texts that can support the DRC's existential struggle,” they say.  

The Catholic MPs caution Catholics and Protestants against fear; they urge them to “profess their Faith and pray for national unity, which is being tested. And pray for peace to reign in the DRC.”

On January 27, the Rwandan-backed March 23 Movement (M23) rebels announced that its forces had taken over the capital of the Eastern Province of the DRC, Goma, Reuters reported.

“Rwandan-backed rebels marched into eastern Congo's largest city Goma on Monday (January 27), and the U.N. said they were supported by at least some regular Rwandan troops, in the worst escalation of a long-running conflict for more than a decade,” the January 27 Reuters report indicated.

On February 16, M23 rebels reportedly captured the second-largest city of Eastern DRC, Bukavu, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, a special Holy Mass for peace in DRC was held at the Congolese Chaplaincy in Rome on February 16.

In his homily, the Chaplain of the Congolese Community in Rome, Fr. Roger Balowe Tshimanga, looked back at the effects of the violent conflicts in DRC, saying, “In just a few days, our country has suffered more than 3,000 deaths.”

Fr. Tshimanga added, “Every Congolese is concerned by what is happening in his country. Some are faced with the dead and the many corpses littering the streets, others are fighting or denouncing, and still others are engaged in diplomatic negotiations or looking for any kind of solution.”

“In prayer, we entrust DRC to God, who is the Lord of armies and who can bring victory,” he said.

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Fr. Tshimanga continued, “It's true that the DRC, because of its many riches, has always been the victim of an international plot. One or two Congolese have always been used to sacrifice their brothers for their selfish interests.”

He invited Congolese to “question their consciences in relation to what is happening” in their country and underlined the need to “work on the conscience of Congolese man, to form a true national conscience”. 

Fr. Tshimanga faulted the behaviour of some who enrich themselves at the cost of their compatriots' suffering, sometimes becoming accomplices of their enemies. 

“A small number concentrate the great bulk of wealth in their own hands, and alongside them their suffering brothers,” he lamented, and went on to fault the silence of the international community. He said, “Some countries simply remain silent; a silence bordering on complicity.”

Fr. Tshimanga also faulted “the media for remaining silent about what is happening in the DRC, or for distorting the truth revealed by the investigations.”

He underscored the need for every Congolese to protect, defend, and be the guardian of his country.