Libreville, 02 March, 2020 / 8:06 pm (ACI Africa).
Against the backdrop of accusations against the Catholic Bishops in Gabon for remaining silent over kidnappings and ritual killings in the Central African nation, the President of the Bishops' Conference of Gabon has, in a Lenten Message, come to the defense of the Church leaders, reaffirming the Church’s commitment in denouncing evil in society.
“The Church - which at every Mass celebrates the glory of God, instructs and encourages the faithful, denounces the evils that grow in society and challenges consciences through homilies - cannot remain silent,” Bishop Mathieu Madega Lebouakehan said in a message availed Sunday, March 1.
“The Holy Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ Himself, has the mission of announcing Christ: to teach, sanctify and govern the people of God,” he added.
Bishop Madega argued that Catholic Church leaders are always speaking out against “ritual crimes” and that “only those who are distracted or who do not attend the Catholic Church, or those who completely disregard it, can say that the Catholic Church is silent.”
The Bishop Gabon’s Mouila recalled that on December 28 each year, “the Church in Gabon prays especially for these crimes which are an abominable and unspeakable evil, without omitting its support for the Association for the Fight against Ritual Crimes (A.L.C.R.).”