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YAOUNDE, Cameroon – Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya said he was not a candidate for the presidency of the Democratic Republic of Congo, stating that he "had other things to do".
The country prepares for general elections On December 23, a newly formed group called the Christian Dynamics for Unity and Democracy (DCUD) launched a petition asking Monsengwo, archbishop of Kinshasa and member of the powerful C9 Council of Cardinals of Pope Francis, to challenge President Joseph Kabila in
The organization – bringing together several Christian secular groups – said that the cardinal was the only person with "credibility" to oppose the outgoing president.
A recent opinion poll called Monsengwo the most respected person. DCUD spokesman Serge Gontcho said that Monsengwo con in an interview with Radio Okapi, a Catholic station, [traduction] "a safe and credible alternative to ensure a peaceful alternation of power in the DRC"
Gontcho said that the actions of political actors since independence in 1960 have left a trace "The current government has failed, and the opposition does not propose an alternative. more anxious to destroy each other.To build a Congo for our children, all those who have not succeeded should be put aside and replaced by a new force.That is why we thought about Cardinal Monsengwa who is very well accepted by the people, "said Gontcho.
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block – in addition to the cardinal's statement, he is not a candidate – are church bans against clergymen holding political office. Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez had been bishop of San Pedro in Paraguay before deciding to run for president of the South American country. After his election, he was secularized by the Vatican.
Gontcho says that nothing should prevent a prelate from running for office, adding that "Cardinal Monsengwo unites everyone around him – those in power and those in opposition."
The leader, Medard Kankolongo of Congo in March, also called the cardinal to run for president.
He stated that Monsengwo could not refuse "this distress call that the suffering populations of the Congo have," adding that it is hoped that the mobilization of Catholic observers "will put an end to electoral fraud in the country. 39; future. "
The Union for the Congolese Nation, or Union for the Congolese Nation, also supports a candidacy of Monsengwo, UNC, whose leader has urged the cardinal to" accept the Appeal from the people. "
Catholic secular organizations – often with the support of the clergy – carry out protests against the government since an agreement between the government and the opposition collapsed in 2017.
Kabila has been in office for more than 15 years, succeeding his father, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who was murdered in 2001. In 2006, an election confirmed him in his post.He was re-elected for a second mandate in 2011.
After the Kabila failed to resign after the end of his second term in December 2016, as required by the constitution, the protests resulted in dozens of deaths.
overseen by the Catholic hierarchy called for the sharing of power between Kabila's party and the opposition parties in the preparation of a presidential election in late December 2017, to which Kabila would not be a candidate.
The elections never took place and Kabila continues
In the absence of a credible opposition and a free press, the Catholic Church appears as the the only credible voice able to defend the Congolese people against the Kabila regime
. nearly half of the 80 million inhabitants of Congo, and the bishops of the nation are held in high esteem.
Despite the increasing efforts to prepare Monsengwo for the presidency, the Lay Coordinating Committee opposes this initiative (CLC) of the Catholic Church, which organizes most public events against the maintenance of Kabila's power.
Committee spokesman Jonas Tshomba said the movement was orchestrated by those in power with the intent to distract
"We believe that those in power are seeking to demobilize Christians who are ready for the protest march on August 12, "he said, noting that Kabila is still banned from running for another term. We see this as an attempt to distract and disconnect us from the real issues facing the nation, such as elections. We are concerned that this action will be put in place to demobilize those who would like to take part in future actions planned by the CLC to push for the implementation of the December Agreement and compliance with the constitution; He said the bishops made it clear that Kabila should not stand for election, a position confirmed by Fr. Donatien Nshole, secretary-general of the bishops' conference.
"The country needs a new direction, and with a little will, it is still possible to organize a good election in the country," said the priest.
Nshole also stated that the Church did not need to be in the center
"It is not the correct interpretation to blame the Church for not to be in the middle of the village Being in the middle of the village does not mean that you have to position yourself at the same distance from the other actors, "he said.
Yet, the national executive secretary of the DCUD, Odette Babandoa, pleaded with Catholics She said that the lay coordinating committee would do more good for the country by voting for the cardinal rather than organizing the meeting .. protests against Kabila
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This is not the first time that Monsengwo is asked to play a civilian role in the country During the last days of the dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko, who directed the ays then known as Zaire from 1965 to 1997, the auxiliary bishop of Kisangani led the "High Council of the Republic" transitional – acting as a de facto national leader at the end of the regime
not only served as chairman of the council, which was responsible for drafting a new constitution, but he was appointed the transitional president of the national parliament in 1994.
The 78-year- The old cardinal has already pbaded the 39 Retirement age for bishops of the Catholic Church. In February, François appointed Archbishop Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, the former head of the Archdiocese of Mbandka-Bikoro, as the "coadjutor" of Kinshasa, meaning that he will automatically take over from Monsengwo at the head of the diocese when he will leave office – for whatever reason.
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