Congo-Kinshasa: Bishops Call for Better Deal On Nation's Birthday
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Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
15 July 2008
Posted to the web 15 July 2008
Kinshasa
The Catholic Bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo have said that it was time for the country to wake up and address the dream of a better Congo free of suffering.
The bishops said this in a message issued at their recent plenary assembly to coincide with the 48th anniversary of the nation's independence. Congo gained independence on June 30, 1960.
"We are convinced of the most urgent need to face the problem of illegal, massive, and abusive exploitation of forestry and mining resources in our country. Instead of contributing to the progress of the people, the minerals, fuel, and forests are becoming the source of our evils," the bishops stated.
Conditions of the local population are still desperate and the dream of a better Congo was still far from being realized. They described "the sight of a Congo in which the population is increasingly facing death, impoverishment, and forced into endless misery. The people see a dark future ahead and with desperate voices ask: 'How long will this suffering last?'"
The situation called for "a change of mentality and adoption of deep social reforms, especially structural ones."
The country had the capacity to overcome its crisis through new institutions established through a democratic process. The presence of a large quantity of human and natural resources of great value should be used in a balanced and harmonious manner in order to allow for progress in the entire nation.
Corruption, social misery, weakness of government authorities, and insecurity were among the evils that impede progress in DRC Congo. State authorities also allow foreign interests to exploit Congo's natural resources without awarding a just price to the local population.
The agreement to make an effort to bring back peace in the north and the south of Kivu, regions in the eastern part of the country where the civil never fully ended has not been honored, as various armed groups continue to threaten civilians and commit massive numbers of rape, the bishops said.
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In the face of all the hardships, the bishops recalled that Christian hope was based on the fact that "the present moment in history is not enclosed in itself, but open to the Kingdom of God."
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