Catholic Pastoral Charity Facilitates Formation of Dozens of Seminarians in DR Congo

Kinshasa, 15 September, 2021 / 8:33 PM

Dozens of Major Seminarians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are set to benefit from a financial “contribution” from the Catholic Pastoral Charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, the leadership of the Pontifical entity has said in a report.

In the Monday, September 13 report obtained by ACI Africa, ACN officials say the Pope St. John XXIII Major Seminary in DRC needs financial assistance and pledge to support 59 Major Seminarians.

“We are proposing to make a contribution … for the support of the ongoing formation of these fifty-nine Theology students,” say the ACN officials in the report.

They add, “The financial situation of the Seminary was already difficult before, but it has been made even worse by the COVID-19.”

“The local Catholic faithful had little enough already, but now the Seminary cannot expect any significant support from them, and the families of the Seminarians are just as poor themselves,” officials of the Pontifical entity further say. 

They acknowledge with appreciation the rising number of vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life on the continent, which spells hope for the universal Church.

"For the Catholic Church, Africa is a continent of hope. One in every five Catholics, one in every eight religious sisters and one in every nine Priests in the world today lives on the African continent," ACN officials say in the September 13 report.

They add, "For Seminarians, the proportion is higher still: one in every four young men currently training for the Priesthood is African. The number of Priestly vocations is rising, year on year."

"The Church in Africa is striving to provide an intensive spiritual, human and intellectual formation for these, her future Pastors – and is therefore inevitably dependent on outside financial support," ACN officials further say, and add, “No vocation should be lost for lack of money.”