Church News

We are in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Diocese of Uvira where the venerable Servants of God lost their lives. They are two Xaverian Missionary priests (Luigi CARRARA and Giovanni DIDONE), a Xaverian Missionary religious (Vittorio Faccin) and a diocesan abbot of Uvira (Albert JOUBERT). Men in love with charity and filled with apostolic zeal in evangelization, did not run away in the face of the Mulelists. (belonging to Pierre Mulele), who are a rebel group against the power of Joseph Désiré MOBUTU. These pastors defended their sheep to the point of shedding blood on November 28, 1964 at the parish of the Immatriculated Heart of Mary in Baraka and at the Parish of Saint John the Baptist in Fizi in the Diocese of Uvira.

Since Wednesday, March 13, the priests (curates, vicars and formators) of the deanery have been invited to tour all the parishes in their deanery to offer the faithful the opportunity to confess in preparation for Easter. The parish of the Holy Martyrs of Uganda was the first to open its doors to priests for these confessions. The deanery of the Cathedral has seven parishes (the Holy Martyrs of Uganda, the Holy Trinity of Castor, Saint Paul of the Rapids, Saint Francis of Assisi of Yapele, Saint Sauveur, Saint Anne of Kassai and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception).

On Monday, March 18, 2024, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo met with the priests and nuns of the Archdiocese of Kinshasa working in France. It all began with a Eucharistic celebration presided over by His Eminence, at the Church of Sainte Marguerite (36 rue Saint Bernard, 75011). He was welcomed by the parish priest who concelebrated with him. In his homily, the Cardinal insisted on the fact that it is always prudent to listen to people before condemning them.

For the Cathedral of Bangui, under the coordination of the parish priest, Caritas benefits from various contributions in kind and in cash. Lent is the great moment when the faithful deposit several goods in kind and offer after the Stations of the Cross every Friday the money intended for the poor. The generosity of the faithful is felt that the goods received do not only serve the poor of the parish. Thus, Caritas organizes itself to travel to the periphery for distribution.

The infinitude of God that reveals himself to man experiencing finitude sometimes provokes an erroneous interpretation on the part of the latter. For God living in perfection cannot be understood when we want to grasp his word in facts that are clothed in imperfections. That which is born of flesh is flesh. But that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit (Jn 3:6). This is the source of all man's infidelities when he believes he is fulfilled. Even our commitment to God can be a form of infidelity when we seek to please ourselves with the law of God, finding in it the justification for our desires for enjoyment. And yet God is faithful and does not change.

"The bishop fathers are concerned about the rise of local and foreign armed groups in the provinces. This dramatic situation creates a climate of insecurity characterized by a significant number of losses of human life, not to mention the massive displacement of the population, and the destruction of public and private property. Furthermore, they deplore the irresponsibility of the political and administrative authorities in the face of cases of killings due to the poor delimitation of the Lomami and Garamba parks."

It is a tradition in the particular Church of Bangui, as elsewhere, that a pilgrimage is organized for the effort of Lent. Several places on the outskirts of Bangui welcome thousands of faithful for this purpose. We cite the sanctuaries of Rosa mystica, of Saint Rita, of Mount Carmel, ... However, it must be recognized that the most visited sanctuary in Bangui is that of Ngoukomba.

Appointed Bishop of Kilwa-Kasenga by Pope Francis in January 2024, Monsignor Désiré LENGE MUKWENYE received episcopal ordination and took canonical possession of his diocese on Sunday March 10, 2024 during a mass celebrated by Monsignor Fulgence MUTEBA MAGALU, Metropolitan Archbishop of Lubumbashi.

God's work is completed to take the road to salvation. The awaited Messiah has become incarnate to manifest, as never before experienced, the marvelous plan of salvation. The third intervention of Nicodemus "How is this possible?" (Jn 3:9), led Jesus to reveal to us the great secret: how God loved the world! He gave the only Son so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life and not go to his destruction (Jn 3:16). It is this Son who lived in the celestial spheres. He can speak to us of these things from Above. He came into the world to bring us the Kingdom of his Father that he intends to establish. This is why he also speaks to us of the things of the earth. The image of the bronze serpent in the desert (Nm 21),

In a Cathedral flooded with guests, the evening opened with the prayer of Father Aloïs KHONDE (director of the pastoral center of the Archdiocese of Kinshasa) followed directly by the reading of the program and the welcome speech of Father Freddy NGWASHI (Secretary of the Episcopal Commission of the Liturgy-CENCO) and the word of the CENCO on the general provisions of the ANUARITE Year with presentation of the National and Diocesan Committee by Monsignor Donatien NSHOLE (Chaplain of His Holiness the Pope and Secretary General of the CENCO).

Moderated by Father Pacôme Likobe, Pastoral Secretary for the Kin-West Apostolic Region, the first day of the General Assembly of Pastoral Care brought together around Monsignor Édouard Isago (Auxiliary Bishop of Kinshasa in charge of Kin-West) and assisted by Monsignor Édouard Kisonga (Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus), the priests, nuns and some lay people of this part of the Kin-West Apostolic Region on the afternoon of Thursday, March 7, 2024.

From Wednesday 14 to Monday 26 February 2024, the Archbishop of Bangui, Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga, had crisscrossed the entire diocese of Alindao to meet the sheep of this area filled with several challenges. Aboard his jeep, he had left Bangui with his team on the morning of 14 February. Apart from many villages lost in the forest, the Archbishop of Bangui visited 11 cities and towns by some roads that were maliciously passable.