AFRICA/RD CONGO - “We are not agitators, we are shepherds concerned for our country” Bishops affirm

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - “No one has the right to demand total silence from anyone expressing an opinion or speaking out in a country which calls itself democratic” the Bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo affirm in a statement, marking a new lap in the battle with President Joseph Kabila, suspected of wanting to change the Constitution to obtain a third mandate in elections in 2016, or delay the vote to extend his time in power. On November 24 the standing committee of CENCO (Catholic Bishops’ Conference DR Congo) issued a statement denouncing “restriction of individual freedoms, increased repression and intimidation” (see Fides 27/11/2015).
In the message dated 3 December, received by Fides, the Bishops recall that “the standing committee of CENCO is no ordinary body. It comprises archbishops and bishops who preside various commissions of the Bishops’ Conference. (…) its members are not agitators, they are shepherds concerned for the good of the country and good functioning of its institutions”. In their message dated 24 November the Bishops referred to article 64 of RD Congo’s Constitution which states: “all Congolese citizens have the duty to tackle any individual or group which takes power by force or exerts power in violation to the indications of the Constitution ”.
“The interpretation given to article 64 places the citizen before his or her responsibility, the message reads -. None of the Bishops intend to overthrow the regime in power. The Bishops demand respect for the Constitution and constitutional terms for the elections; this cannot be considered a call to the people to rise up against the regime ” the statement concludes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 3/12/2015)

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