Louis Birabaluge sx
The Holy See announced on March 3, 2022 that Pope Francis will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa and Goma from July 2 to 5). Then he will travel to South Sudan in Juba, from July 5 to 7. For DRC, it will be a third apostolic visit after those made by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and 1985. The president of the Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) has published a message in which he says his joy. He hopes that the Pope's visit will strengthen the faith of the Congolese Catholic faithful and revive the hope of this people who need peace, security and well-being. This visit will therefore be a great event for Catholics in DRC. But which Catholic Church will Pope Francis find in DRC? What are her strengths and weaknesses?
1. A Church with an evident missionary spirit
In July, Pope Francis will visit a country that exports its music very well. In this regard, in 2021, Unesco inscribed Congolese Rumba music as a world cultural heritage; a real pride for DRC whose music moves people of all four corners of the globe. For her part, the Catholic Church of Congo has her own mark of export. Indeed, Pope Francis, who continues to invite all the baptized to become missionary disciples, will rejoice to be in the first African country sending missionaries almost everywhere in the world. Even if the statistics are lacking, it should be noted that after having been evangelized by generous missionaries, the catholic Church of DRC sends its many sons and daughters on mission either as religious missionaries or as diocesan priests under the title of 'fidei donum'.
The missionary spirit of the Church of DRC is not limited to this sending on mission of sons and daughters. It is also manifested by the generosity of all the catholic faithful towards the works of the mission. Indeed, with regard to the contribution to the pontifical missionary societies (PMS), in 2021, the Church of the DRC occupied the first place at the African level. The contribution reaches more than half a million dollars $508,169.16. This amount can still increase if we take into account that it was the archdiocese of Bukavu which was in the lead – $105,046 – ahead of large and rich archdioceses such as Kinshasa and Lubumbashi.
Surely, signs of self-withdrawal in the Catholic Church of DRC are not lacking, such as the absorption of pastoral personnel in large and heavy socio-charitable structures or the lack of attention to new missionary challenges under the excuse that there is already a lot to do in the parish and therefore no need to leave his territory. Certainly, Francis the missionary pope will not fail to remind those who are tempted by pastoral routinization to missionary conversion. But he will do so in a Church where the missionary spirit has very solid foundations.
2. A very politically engaged Church
The Catholic Church in DRC is a very politically committed church. This Church remembers with pride the courage of thousands of people who on February 16, 1992, responding to the call of a group of Catholic priests from Kinshasa, were in the streets in the twenty-four districts of Kinshasa to demand real democratic progress. This walk is known as the « Walk of Hope ». It was repressed in blood by the dictatorial regime of Mobutu. In recent years, this political fight by Congolese Catholics has continued thanks to the actions of the Lay Coordination Committee (CLC). Indeed, in 2017-2018, this collective of lay Catholics organized large peaceful demonstrations against President Joseph Kabila, who had finally given up seeking a third mandate. As part of the Church's political commitment, we can also mention the awareness-raising and civic training campaigns organized by the Justice and Peace commissions of each diocese.
The political commitment of the Catholic Church in DRC is more visible through the political action of the Catholic bishops, the Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO). It is materialized by their regular speaking out on the problems of society, sometimes to deliver the guiding principles of practical behavior in conformity with the Gospel and the social doctrine of the Church, as in times of elections, sometimes to denounce the act of political leaders with little respect for human the dignity and little inclined to the sense of the common good. Unfortunately, the omnipresence of the interventions of the Congolese bishops on political questions leads one to think that when one wants to appreciate the political action of the Catholic Church in DRC, the action of the hierarchy of the Church comes first. Which is too reductive.
During his stay in DRC, there is a hope that Pope Francis, the pope of the return to the evangelical spirit, will remind his brothers in the episcopate and the priests tempted by the sirens of political power first of all the sound doctrine of the Church according to which: clerics do not hold public offices involving participation in the exercise of civil power (Code of Canon Law 285 § 3. It belongs to the lay faithful to exercise a direct political activity. They act in society as "citizens, individually or in groups, guided by their Christian conscience" (Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, n. 76 §1).
Then, to bishops, priests and laity, a word on coherence of life would be salutary. Certainly, there are so many holy lay faithful, bishops and priests in DRC. But to be prophetic, the Church must preach by example. Because she will be inaudible if the evils for which she reproaches politicians are found at the same time in the Church. In this regard, the words of the Cameroonian Eloi Messi Metogo are to be taken seriously: "we can also establish a parallelism between the Churches and the African States: the same ritual of leaders, the same search for power and money".
For bishops, setting an example means refusing gifts from corrupt political regimes, promoting communion and collegiality at regional and national level, not becoming political leaders, good administration of dioceses, transparency in financial management (Africiae Munus, n° 104-112), greater involvement of the laity in the governance of dioceses and parishes and thus reduce clericalism. While for priests, setting an example involves witnessing a peaceful life, beyond tribal and racial borders, through the requirement of fidelity to celibacy in chastity and detachment from material goods. It is appropriate, insists Pope Benedict XVI, in Africae Munus, to think about this deeply (AM, n°112).
To the lay faithful engaged in politics, it will be necessary to repeat that coherence of life: that is to say coherence between faith and life, between the Gospel and culture is what is expected from a Catholic Christian engaged in politics. Indeed, it is scandalous to see the number of Catholic Christians involved in politics and the degree of inhumanity that the Congolese public space has reached.
3. A church in an “over-Christianized” country
In July, Pope Francis will visit a country where the religious landscape seems to suggest that Jesus is Congolese. It is an "over-Christianized" country that he will visit. By overchristianization - an expression used by the Congolese philosopher, Vicky Elongo Lukulunga to describe the extent of Christianity in the Congolese public space. This is a massive adhesion of the Congolese people to Christianity which results in an exponential growth of Christians, all denominations combined, a multiplication of places of worship, religious attitudes such as sermons at crossroads, in public transport, in universities, prisons...
Francis will be happy to visit a country won over to his cause. Because DRC with its 85 million inhabitants of which 95.7% are Christians - among which 47.3% are Catholic Christians - hosts the eighth Christian population in the world, becoming the first African country with a Catholic majority.
With such a high number of Catholic Christians there is certainly something to rub one's hands with. Because we say to ourselves that the Catholic Church of DRC continues to win new disciples for Christ. The other side of the coin is that over-Christianization rhymes with the decay of the Congolese social context. Coming from a Latin American context where liberation theology has repeatedly reminded Catholics that the Marxist accusation that religion is an opium of the people is sometimes confirmed by the behavior of Christians. Thus, Pope Francis is expected to reminder to congolese that the Christian faith, where it is authentic, has a positive impact on history. It has social implications relating to the fight for reconciliation, peace and justice; and especially on the promotion of the common good, a rare commodity in DRC. Congolese Catholic pastors should not be satisfied with the "Church of numbers”. In this regard, the future challenge of the Catholic Church in DRC will be to evangelize millions of the baptized Congolese.
4. A church with a future
The Catholic Church of DRC is a Church whose memory is marked by great Christian figures such as: - Blessed Isidore Bakanja: His life reminds us that holiness is accessible to all the baptized; - Blessed Anuarite: Her martyrdom tells many Congolese religious that following Christ is a serious adventure without compromise; - Cardinal Malula: a true visionary pastor with his promotion of the laity, of the inculturation of the liturgy thanks to his implementation of what is known as the Zairian Rite of the Mass; - Cardinal Monsegwo: a great figure of the African Church, a man who knew how to reconcile faith and reason and a great fighter for the promotion of the rule of law; - Archbishops Munzihirwa and Kataliko: true figures embodying the meaning of Christian leadership; - theologians like Tharcisse Tshibangu, Vincent Mulago, Bimwenyi Kweshi…
These names are inspiring models that will continue to show Congolese Catholic Christians the path to follow. Alongside the "church of numbers", they constitute the real decisive majority according to which the Church orients hersel. It is this majority that decides the path of the Church and her mission. If the Catholic Church of DRC follows her, she will have a future. For she will walk on safe and secure roads. Pope Francis will not fail in his visit to present these great men and women of God as models to be imitated.
Finally, participation in a Eucharistic celebration in a Congolese Catholic parish leaves no visitor indifferent. Faith is strongly celebrated there. And despite the hardships of daily life, joy is still read on the faces of the faithful. Isn't that a true marker of the Christian faith? It does not spare from the cross. Rather, it helps to carry it with the certainty that by his death and resurrection, Christ conquered death. The Catholic Church in DRC thus remains a living memory of Christian hope within world Catholicism. As such, she has a future.
The Holy See announced on March 3, 2022 that Pope Francis will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa and Goma from July 2 to 5). Then he will travel to South Sudan in Juba, from July 5 to 7. For DRC, it will be a third apostolic visit after those made by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and 1985. The president of the Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) has published a message in which he says his joy. He hopes that the Pope's visit will strengthen the faith of the Congolese Catholic faithful and revive the hope of this people who need peace, security and well-being. This visit will therefore be a great event for Catholics in DRC. But which Catholic Church will Pope Francis find in DRC? What are her strengths and weaknesses?
1. A Church with an evident missionary spirit
In July, Pope Francis will visit a country that exports its music very well. In this regard, in 2021, Unesco inscribed Congolese Rumba music as a world cultural heritage; a real pride for DRC whose music moves people of all four corners of the globe. For her part, the Catholic Church of Congo has her own mark of export. Indeed, Pope Francis, who continues to invite all the baptized to become missionary disciples, will rejoice to be in the first African country sending missionaries almost everywhere in the world. Even if the statistics are lacking, it should be noted that after having been evangelized by generous missionaries, the catholic Church of DRC sends its many sons and daughters on mission either as religious missionaries or as diocesan priests under the title of 'fidei donum'.
The missionary spirit of the Church of DRC is not limited to this sending on mission of sons and daughters. It is also manifested by the generosity of all the catholic faithful towards the works of the mission. Indeed, with regard to the contribution to the pontifical missionary societies (PMS), in 2021, the Church of the DRC occupied the first place at the African level. The contribution reaches more than half a million dollars $508,169.16. This amount can still increase if we take into account that it was the archdiocese of Bukavu which was in the lead – $105,046 – ahead of large and rich archdioceses such as Kinshasa and Lubumbashi.
Surely, signs of self-withdrawal in the Catholic Church of DRC are not lacking, such as the absorption of pastoral personnel in large and heavy socio-charitable structures or the lack of attention to new missionary challenges under the excuse that there is already a lot to do in the parish and therefore no need to leave his territory. Certainly, Francis the missionary pope will not fail to remind those who are tempted by pastoral routinization to missionary conversion. But he will do so in a Church where the missionary spirit has very solid foundations.
2. A very politically engaged Church
The Catholic Church in DRC is a very politically committed church. This Church remembers with pride the courage of thousands of people who on February 16, 1992, responding to the call of a group of Catholic priests from Kinshasa, were in the streets in the twenty-four districts of Kinshasa to demand real democratic progress. This walk is known as the « Walk of Hope ». It was repressed in blood by the dictatorial regime of Mobutu. In recent years, this political fight by Congolese Catholics has continued thanks to the actions of the Lay Coordination Committee (CLC). Indeed, in 2017-2018, this collective of lay Catholics organized large peaceful demonstrations against President Joseph Kabila, who had finally given up seeking a third mandate. As part of the Church's political commitment, we can also mention the awareness-raising and civic training campaigns organized by the Justice and Peace commissions of each diocese.
The political commitment of the Catholic Church in DRC is more visible through the political action of the Catholic bishops, the Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO). It is materialized by their regular speaking out on the problems of society, sometimes to deliver the guiding principles of practical behavior in conformity with the Gospel and the social doctrine of the Church, as in times of elections, sometimes to denounce the act of political leaders with little respect for human the dignity and little inclined to the sense of the common good. Unfortunately, the omnipresence of the interventions of the Congolese bishops on political questions leads one to think that when one wants to appreciate the political action of the Catholic Church in DRC, the action of the hierarchy of the Church comes first. Which is too reductive.
During his stay in DRC, there is a hope that Pope Francis, the pope of the return to the evangelical spirit, will remind his brothers in the episcopate and the priests tempted by the sirens of political power first of all the sound doctrine of the Church according to which: clerics do not hold public offices involving participation in the exercise of civil power (Code of Canon Law 285 § 3. It belongs to the lay faithful to exercise a direct political activity. They act in society as "citizens, individually or in groups, guided by their Christian conscience" (Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, n. 76 §1).
Then, to bishops, priests and laity, a word on coherence of life would be salutary. Certainly, there are so many holy lay faithful, bishops and priests in DRC. But to be prophetic, the Church must preach by example. Because she will be inaudible if the evils for which she reproaches politicians are found at the same time in the Church. In this regard, the words of the Cameroonian Eloi Messi Metogo are to be taken seriously: "we can also establish a parallelism between the Churches and the African States: the same ritual of leaders, the same search for power and money".
For bishops, setting an example means refusing gifts from corrupt political regimes, promoting communion and collegiality at regional and national level, not becoming political leaders, good administration of dioceses, transparency in financial management (Africiae Munus, n° 104-112), greater involvement of the laity in the governance of dioceses and parishes and thus reduce clericalism. While for priests, setting an example involves witnessing a peaceful life, beyond tribal and racial borders, through the requirement of fidelity to celibacy in chastity and detachment from material goods. It is appropriate, insists Pope Benedict XVI, in Africae Munus, to think about this deeply (AM, n°112).
To the lay faithful engaged in politics, it will be necessary to repeat that coherence of life: that is to say coherence between faith and life, between the Gospel and culture is what is expected from a Catholic Christian engaged in politics. Indeed, it is scandalous to see the number of Catholic Christians involved in politics and the degree of inhumanity that the Congolese public space has reached.
3. A church in an “over-Christianized” country
In July, Pope Francis will visit a country where the religious landscape seems to suggest that Jesus is Congolese. It is an "over-Christianized" country that he will visit. By overchristianization - an expression used by the Congolese philosopher, Vicky Elongo Lukulunga to describe the extent of Christianity in the Congolese public space. This is a massive adhesion of the Congolese people to Christianity which results in an exponential growth of Christians, all denominations combined, a multiplication of places of worship, religious attitudes such as sermons at crossroads, in public transport, in universities, prisons...
Francis will be happy to visit a country won over to his cause. Because DRC with its 85 million inhabitants of which 95.7% are Christians - among which 47.3% are Catholic Christians - hosts the eighth Christian population in the world, becoming the first African country with a Catholic majority.
With such a high number of Catholic Christians there is certainly something to rub one's hands with. Because we say to ourselves that the Catholic Church of DRC continues to win new disciples for Christ. The other side of the coin is that over-Christianization rhymes with the decay of the Congolese social context. Coming from a Latin American context where liberation theology has repeatedly reminded Catholics that the Marxist accusation that religion is an opium of the people is sometimes confirmed by the behavior of Christians. Thus, Pope Francis is expected to reminder to congolese that the Christian faith, where it is authentic, has a positive impact on history. It has social implications relating to the fight for reconciliation, peace and justice; and especially on the promotion of the common good, a rare commodity in DRC. Congolese Catholic pastors should not be satisfied with the "Church of numbers”. In this regard, the future challenge of the Catholic Church in DRC will be to evangelize millions of the baptized Congolese.
4. A church with a future
The Catholic Church of DRC is a Church whose memory is marked by great Christian figures such as: - Blessed Isidore Bakanja: His life reminds us that holiness is accessible to all the baptized; - Blessed Anuarite: Her martyrdom tells many Congolese religious that following Christ is a serious adventure without compromise; - Cardinal Malula: a true visionary pastor with his promotion of the laity, of the inculturation of the liturgy thanks to his implementation of what is known as the Zairian Rite of the Mass; - Cardinal Monsegwo: a great figure of the African Church, a man who knew how to reconcile faith and reason and a great fighter for the promotion of the rule of law; - Archbishops Munzihirwa and Kataliko: true figures embodying the meaning of Christian leadership; - theologians like Tharcisse Tshibangu, Vincent Mulago, Bimwenyi Kweshi…
These names are inspiring models that will continue to show Congolese Catholic Christians the path to follow. Alongside the "church of numbers", they constitute the real decisive majority according to which the Church orients hersel. It is this majority that decides the path of the Church and her mission. If the Catholic Church of DRC follows her, she will have a future. For she will walk on safe and secure roads. Pope Francis will not fail in his visit to present these great men and women of God as models to be imitated.
Finally, participation in a Eucharistic celebration in a Congolese Catholic parish leaves no visitor indifferent. Faith is strongly celebrated there. And despite the hardships of daily life, joy is still read on the faces of the faithful. Isn't that a true marker of the Christian faith? It does not spare from the cross. Rather, it helps to carry it with the certainty that by his death and resurrection, Christ conquered death. The Catholic Church in DRC thus remains a living memory of Christian hope within world Catholicism. As such, she has a future.