Be ready….” (Mt 24:44)
Message from His Excellency Monsignor José Bernard LIKOLO Bokal'Etumba, Bishop of Lisala, to the population of the Province of Mongala on the eve of the December 2023 elections
Preamble
Dear brothers and sisters, Mongolians,
“…grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 1:7b)
It is after two years of episcopal ministry in the diocese of Lisala, almost all of whose territory is in the province of Mongala, particularly in the town of Lisala where I reside, seat of the provincial institutions, that I feel obliged to address you as Pastor, for the first time at this decisive moment during which we are going to decide on our common destiny and that of our dear province.
The electoral deadlines have already begun to unfold, although there are still concerns hanging over the organization of its process so that the elections are free, inclusive, transparent and peaceful, as each of us wishes (cf. For credible elections. Congolese people, wake up from your sleep! (Rom 13:11). Message from the 60th Assembly of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO), June 22, 2023, n° 9-10.20). The arrival in our cities and regions of the candidates (or their emissaries) for the submission of candidacies has already plunged us into the electoral atmosphere. It calls on us to stay alert and, above all, to prepare accordingly.
During this electoral process, voting is one of the fundamental actions we will take; an act by which we will clearly demonstrate that we are the primary sovereign and that we are, by the same token, delegating our power to elected officials. I would like to clarify from the outset that "delegating power" does not mean getting rid of it, or losing interest in it. We still have the power to control and monitor, and even to sanction—if that proves necessary—among other things, through civil society.
This is why we must go to elections with more lucidity and objectivity in order to choose and equip ourselves with authorities who are truly at the service of the population, competent, and of a moral probity that convinces us. Voting is both a civic and Christian duty. In other words, voting is also for each of us – for a Christian moreover – one of the ways of not only participating in the building of a just and prosperous society, but also of building the Kingdom of God here below, even if this is not to be confused with the projects of human society. (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, Médiaspaul – Librairie Editrice Vaticane, Kinshasa, 1994, no. 2240).
The 2023 elections call on us to be more vigilant so as to avoid any more "missed opportunities" as we have been taught by past elections, marked by results that do not correspond to the truth of the ballot boxes and sometimes by choices made by people who lack competence! It is therefore imperative to take a retrospective look at this past - of our Province of Mongala, precisely - in order to clearly mark the future, safeguarding the achievements and avoiding the repetition of mistakes.
Findings
It is first necessary to appreciate the true value of the aspiration of both the authorities and the population to build a prosperous Mongala, where everyone lives in peace. These include the aspirations to see Mongala flourish like the other provinces of the DRC; to live in a united province, despite the diversity of its inhabitants; sound management of the "res publica"; equitable and distributive justice; non-politicization of public administration; to respect the human person and their property; to acquire basic infrastructure (roads, schools, hospitals, etc.) for the development of the province.
But, alas! Many of these aspirations are now nothing more than pure wishes, unfulfilled desires, disappointed expectations. Disappointment! In this sense, it
