Catholic Bishops in DR Congo, State to Partner to Construct Shrine Ahead of Papal Visit

He added, “We came to meet the Prime Minister, Head of Government, because as you know, soon here in DRC, we will welcome the Sovereign Pontiff, the Holy Father, Pope Francis.”

“It is in this context that we thought of enhancing the site of our faith, the symbol of the Catholic Christian faith here in DRC that is Blessed Isidore Bakandja,” Archbishop Ngboko said.

According to the member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM), the shrine in memory of Blessed Bakanja will be a great honor for the people of God across borders because the devotion to the place “goes beyond the DRC.”

“There are tourists, pilgrims who come to our country. So, it is really necessary that this place is well fitted out to really be up to the task and make sure that it can reflect the dignity of the one who lies there and of our country, the DRC,” Archbishop Ngboko said.

He expressed appreciation to President Félix Tshisekedi “for having granted our Church this opportunity to prepare this place where Blessed Isidore Bakandja rests.”

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The initiative whose management has been entrusted to DRC’s Ministry of Territorial Development is also being realized ahead of the 25th anniversary of the beatification of Blessed Bakanja.

A shrine with crypt, a reception and accommodation site and an airstrip are expected to be constructed at Immaculate Conception Church in Bokote. Other symbolic sites to be developed include Ikili, Wenga, Mbandaka and Bokondela in Equateur Province.

Also addressing journalists after the March 8 meeting, the Minister of Land Management in DRC, Guy Loando, said the construction of the sanctuary will “bring God’s blessings to our country.”

“This project will be a tourist site. It is on the banks of the Tshuapa River and it is an important site. If the work is done as planned, it will not only attract pilgrims but also be an economic boom for the whole of Greater Equateur region,” the Congolese Minister said.

He added, “This project can also boost a lot of economic and social aspects in this part of the country. We will personally follow, on the instruction of the very high hierarchy, the materialization of this very beneficial project which falls within the framework of the forthcoming visit to our country of His Holiness the Pope.”

Born in 1887 in the then Belgian Congo, Isidore Bakanja converted to Christianity at the age of 19 and was baptized by the Trappist Missionaries. 

A committed Catholic, Bakanja had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, a love he expressed through reciting the Holy Rosary and wearing of the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. 

Though untrained, Bakanja often taught people about the Catholic faith, earning himself the title “Catechist.”

He was beatified on 24 April 1994 during the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa.

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.