Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - The Episcopal Conference of the Democratic Republic of Congo (CENCO) withdrew its representative, Don Leonard Santedi (Secretary General of CENCO), from the International Conference on the electoral processes in sub-Saharan Africa which was held on the island of Goree, opposite the capital of Senegal, Dakar, from 11 to 14 December. In a statement sent to Agenzia Fides it is explained that CENCO had been invited to attend the conference by the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
"In the invitation sent to CENCO there were no names of the other guests", the statement said. "Only when our delegate was already in Dakar we realized that, in addition to representatives of civil society, there were only opponents".
"To eliminate any confusion regarding the position of the Catholic Church, a Church that does not take sides, but is a community of faith at the service of truth for the preservation of the common good, CENCO asked its delegate to leave the conference on Sunday, December 13 and return to Kinshasa".
The government of Kinshasa accused Senegal of hosting a meeting to "destabilize the Congolese institutions". There are tensions in the DRC due to the possibility that President Joseph Kabila tries to amend the Constitution in order to present himself for a third presidential term in the 2016 elections. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 15/12/2015)
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