Catholic Church slams Kabila
The head of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC’s) Catholic Church condemned President Joseph Kabila’s government on Tuesday for a deadly crackdown on prodemocracy demonstrators, suggesting that his country was being turned into a prison.
Tension between the government and one of the most powerful institutions has risen as the church has increasingly become a focal point for opposition to Kabila’s efforts to stay in power without a mandate.
Security forces shot dead at least six people and wounded dozens more as they fired teargas to disperse a protest on Sunday that the church had organised, drawing widespread international condemnation.
“We were dispersed by teargas, stun grenades and live bullets. We have again seen deaths, injuries, priests being arrested, and the theft of citizens’ property,” Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo said at the church in the capital, Kinshasa. “Christians were prevented from praying. Others were prevented from leaving by … police and military who were armed as if they had been on a battlefield,” he said.
“How can you kill men, women, children, youths and old people all chanting religious songs, carrying Bibles, rosaries and crucifixes? Are we now living in an open prison?”
A military spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kabila’s refusal to step down at the end of his mandate in December 2016 has triggered a series of street protests in which scores have been killed in Kinshasa. This has also emboldened armed rebel groups in parts of the DRC.
The DRC’s Catholic Church has emerged as a flash point for opposition to Kabila.
The tussle is increasingly a concern for Pope Francis, who made a renewed call on Wednesday “that everyone make all efforts to avoid any form of violence”.