Congolese Catholic Diocese Announces Weeklong Commemoration of Bishop’s 25th Death Anniversary

Butembo-Beni, 13 September, 2025 / 10:01 PM

The Catholic Diocese of Butembo-Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has announced a week of activities to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the passing on of Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko, remembered as the second Bishop of the Congolese Episcopal See.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, September 10, Bishop Melchisedec Sikuli Paluku said the commemoration, titled “Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko Week 2025,” will run from Sunday, September 28, to Sunday, October 5, featuring spiritual, academic, and symbolic events.

“I invite all Parishes and shrines, as well as all Priestly and Religious communities of the Diocese of Butembo-Beni, to take full ownership of this ecclesial event,” Bishop Paluku says in the statement.

The climax of the program will be October 4, the exact anniversary of Archbishop Kataliko’s death. Celebrations on this day will include a solemn Mass at the Mons. Emmanuel Kataliko School Complex in Kasongomi, preceded by the lighting of a memorial flame in Tsakatsaka. A guided visit to Matanda General Hospital is also planned.

Throughout the week, activities will include commemorative Masses across Parishes and Diocesan shrines, the planting of memorial trees, a colloquium on Kataliko’s life and legacy, open doors at the Graben Catholic University (UCG), and a motorized procession through the city culminating at Place Mgr Kataliko.

On September 30, participants will also mark African Bible Day with special Masses and the conclusion of the month dedicated to the Scriptures. On October 1, the “Kataliko Colloquium” will officially open with a Mass at Mount Tabor.

October 3 will feature commemorative liturgies in key sanctuaries, among other events. The following day has been set aside for concerts, exhibitions, and the sale of “Kataliko products”.

The commemoration will conclude on October 5 with a solemn Eucharistic celebration presided over by Bishop Paluku at Mater Ecclesiae Cathedral of Butembo-Beni Diocese, followed by an evaluation of the week on October 7.

Born in 1932 in Lukole, Lubero Territory, Archbishop Kataliko was ordained a Priest in Rome in 1958 and Consecrated Bishop in 1966. 

For 31 years, he led the Diocese of Butembo-Beni before being appointed Archbishop of Bukavu in April 1997. 

On 4 October 4 2000, Archbishop Kataliko passed away in a hospital near Rome at the age of 68.

Known as a “symbol of resistance” during one of the darkest periods of the DRC’s history, his death came just weeks after he was allowed to return to Bukavu following months of forced exile.

Archbishop Kataliko had been deported by the Goma rebellion and confined in Butembo for seven months, barred from returning to his Archdiocese. 

The rebel group accused him of inciting ethnic hatred against the Tutsi population and stirring revolt against foreign occupation. His outspoken stance against the Rwandan occupation of eastern Congo, however, had made him a powerful voice of non-violent resistance.

During his exile, the Archdiocese of Bukavu, supported by a vast network of associations, organized prayer chains, parish sit-ins, and even a “strike of Masses” to demand his return. 

Beyond his pastoral role, he was widely respected as a promoter of development. Among his many contributions were the founding of the Catholic University of Graben in Butembo, housing improvements, and the construction of rural access roads.