Catholic Bishop in DR Congo Reminisces about Pope Francis’ Powerful Words of Encouragement During Visit

Kinshasa, 23 April, 2025 / 2:25 AM

Bishop Melchisedec Sikuli Paluku of the Catholic Diocese of Butembo-Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has remembered the 2023 visit of Pope Francis to the troubled African country, during which the Holy Father lauded the vitality of the Church in the country.

Speaking to the press at the Bishop’s residence on Monday, April 21, the day that Pope Francis passed on, Bishop Paluku recalled that during the 31 January-3 February 2023 visit, Pope Francis  also addressed “all the challenges the Church is facing”, especially in the country that is weighed down by decades of violence. 

Bishop Paluku reflected on the Pontiff’s powerful addresses that called on the nation’s leaders to uphold justice and foster peace.

“All his speeches were powerful. He addressed all the challenges facing the Church,” the Bishop said, and recalled that the late Pope thanked the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) for its messages that he said always included a social dimension.

The Congolese Catholic Bishop said that in the  two African nation trip that also saw Pope Francis visit South Sudan, the Holy Father “reminded the leaders that they have the duty to ensure that the Congolese people live in peace, justice, and truly Christian fraternity.”

In his address to the Congolese Catholic Bishops, Pope Francis testified about having experienced the Church in the DRC as “a young, dynamic and joyful Church, motivated by missionary zeal, by the good news that God loves us and that Jesus is Lord.”

“Yours is a Church present in the lived history of this people, deeply rooted in its daily life, and at the forefront of charity,” Pope Francis told CENCO members. 

He added, “It is a community capable of attracting others, filled with infectious enthusiasm and therefore, like your forests, with plenty of ‘oxygen.’ Thank you, because you are a lung that helps the universal Church breathe!”

According to the Vatican, there are more than 52 million Catholics in the DRC, almost half of the country’s total population of over 105 million people. The country, which covers 905,600 square miles, is divided into 48 Catholic dioceses.

After praising the beautiful features of the Church in the DRC, Pope Francis said he was sorry to have to speak of another side to the Catholic Bishops’ country.“Sadly, I know that the Christian community of this land also has another face,” he said. 

The Holy Father said he had seen “the face of a Church that suffers for its people, a heart in which the life of the people, with its joys and trials, beats anxiously; a Church that is a visible sign of Christ, who even today is rejected, condemned and reviled in the many crucified people of our world.”

In DRC, Pope Francis said he had seen “a Church that weeps with their tears, and like Jesus, a Church that also wants to dry those tears.”

He encouraged Catholic Bishops in DRC to be close to the Lord in prayer in order to be prophets for the people of God under their pastoral care.

The Holy Father urged the Catholic Bishops to console their people, and above all, to be “shepherds and servants of the people, not entrepreneurs, not moneymakers.”

In his April 21 tribute, Bishop Paluku recalled that the late Pope was among the few Pontiffs who journeyed across the globe to bring the Gospel to the poorest. “Even those who encountered him in Rome bore witness to his unwavering commitment to the marginalized,” the Bishop said.

“He walked around the Basilica. One could feel his quiet presence, his gaze,” Bishop Paluku said, and added, “He loved people deeply, a sign of who he has always been since the beginning of his pontificate. He showed that closeness to all who came to Rome, to the faithful, revealing the heart of a Good Shepherd.”

The Local Ordinary of Butembo-Beni lauded the unwavering courage Pope Francis displayed right up until the point of his death.

The Bishop noted that Pope Francis, who is set to be laid to rest on Saturday, April 26, had just taken part in the Easter Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, despite his frail condition. “That was true courage,” the Bishop said and added, “We followed his condition for over a month, and he had been hospitalized. We might have feared the worst even before this, but it was impressive to see that he did not miss the Easter celebration. He even spent 30 minutes in prison, visiting inmates.”