EngRegional
DRC: Cardinal Ambongo’s life in danger for being critical of Tshisekedi’s government
While on his way to Rome to
meet Pope Francis, on April 14, the chancery of the Catholic Archdiocese of
Kinshasa, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, viciously suffered at the hands of
DRC security officials at N'djili International Airport, in Kinshasa. He was
denied access to an airport VIP lounge.
The Cardinal is one of the
nine members of the Council of Cardinals, which advises the Pope. In a letter
to the government, the Catholic Church in Kinshasa said the treatment of its
leader was not in line with the chancery's public standing and profile.
"As you know, the
Cardinal Metropolitan Archbishop of Kinshasa is a member of the Council of
Cardinals who assists the Holy Father, Pope Francis, in the project of
reforming the church.
"It was for this mission
he was travelling. Also, as a Cardinal of the Holy Church, he holds a
diplomatic passport. Why refuse this status, which has always been recognised
by all cardinals, even internationally?" the church asked.
The Catholic Church in DRC is
at loggerheads with the government over what it has called the degrading
treatment of its prelate.
The dispute between the
Catholic Church and the government was triggered by Ambongo’s Easter message,
in which he decried the persistent security challenge in the country, and
described the Central African nation as “seriously ill” and in a coma.
“We know very well that our
country is today a country in agony, seriously ill and when a seriously ill
person is in a state of coma, it is dangerous to predict his future and today
the Congo is in this situation of the seriously ill person who is almost in a
comatose state,” he said on March 30.
During an Easter Vigil Mass,
Cardinal Ambongo faulted the authorities for ignoring the plight of their own
citizens. He criticized all the security agencies in DRC for not being
proactive in defending the people and their properties, saying, “Beyond the
speech we are making here, completely useless speeches, and the reality is that
the others continue to advance and occupy the east of our country. This is
obvious for the simple reason that Congo has no strength to defend the
integrity of its country.”
“We are so big, but we are as
they say, an elephant with feet of clay. We are making speeches here as if we
were strong. The truth is that the Congo does not have an army and that is very
serious for a nation like ours,” Cardinal Ambongo said.
Referring to DRC’s political
leaders, he continued: “When we see their behaviour, when we see their
language, we wonder if these are the real leaders of these unfortunate people.”
He noted that he finds it unfortunate that politicians engage in petty quarrels
over a “big cake”, ignoring the violent conflicts in the country.
“It's been three months that our country is
practically paralyzed for the simple reason that the entire political class has
invited itself around the big cake that we are fighting over, while the country
is at war, while the enemy is advancing,” he said, and added, “This behaviour
is completely incoherent if we consider the delicate, dangerous situation of
our country.”
“A country that is attacked, a
country that knows it is at war, the first thing to do is to sit around a table
to form what we call the common front. However, today, there is no common
front,” he further lamented.
The Congolese government
immediately condemned Cardinal Ambongo’s remarks. The government spokesperson,
Patrick Muyaya, asked Ambongo to clarify his remarks, especially since they
amount to moral support for all those who took up arms against the country.
"These are extremely
serious comments coming from a religious leader of his ilk. Why did I say it?
Because, whatever the reasons, and what's more, it was an Easter Mass, the most
important Christian holiday," we cannot support Congolese who want to take
weapons to kill Congolese in order to gain power, when we have chosen
democracy," declared Muyaya.
Kinshasa perceived the
Cardinal’s message as an encouragement and moral support to rebels who choose
to take up arms to think about conquering power. The Catholic church has often
criticized Kinshasa for failing the citizens. Many Congolese who were present
at N'djili International Airport witnessed the scene and were outraged by the
way Kinshasa security officials treated the Cardinal.
But for Kinshasa, the truth
hurts, and anyone who criticizes the government is an ‘enemy’. Kinshasa
developed the narrative that Cardinal Ambongo is a supporter of the rebel
Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) headed by Corneille Naanga, the former chair of the
country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).
Joining the AFC is perceived by Kinshasa as treason and deserves immediate response. And it could lead to Ambongo’s death. On March 15, the country lifted the moratorium on the death penalty, citing treachery and espionage in recurring armed conflicts as the reason for allowing a resumption of executions.
