Universal Church

The congregation of the Franci-Trinitarian Brothers has just had a ten-day Constitutional Chapter meeting (from Monday 7 to Wednesday 16 August 2023) whose closing mass, celebrated by the Bishop of Mbujimayi Monsignor Emmanuel-Bernard Kasanda, took place at the Saint François-Xavier major seminary in Lukelenge.

The Central African pilgrims, under the direction of Father Mathieu BONDOBO, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Bangui and Parish Priest of the Cathedral, left Bangui on Sunday, July 13 for Kibeho. During their journey, Father Mathieu, reached by telephone by the Diocesan Radio Notre Dame de Bangui, said that the pilgrims were in admiration to discover several sanctuaries of the Divine Mercy. This is explained by the fact that the Rwandan people have gone through difficult times, especially with the genocides of 1994.

This year, more than 65 bishops from 27 nations took part in the meeting from August 2 to 11 in Braga (Portugal) under the theme: The Mysticism of Encounter: Contemplation and Mission in a Changing Era. Several joined the group on August 8 after participating in WYD with the Holy Father.

Appointed bishop on April 3, 1998 by Pope John Paul II, Bishop Sikuli Paluku was ordained in his ministry on August 2, 1998 before the war of the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD-Goma) broke out in Goma on the evening of the same day, the ancestor of the rebellions that the Congo would subsequently experience. During 25 years of his ministry, the bishop experienced only security, political and health crises. Which earned him locally the nickname of "the bishop of times of crisis".

Brother Lionel Octave NAMGBEMA,: a painful and unexpected death ... Father Lionel Octave died in Bangui following a motorcycle accident on Sunday August 6, 2023 during the night

Traditionally, at priestly ordination, the new priest chooses a biblical word or a spiritual thought.