Cardinal Ambongo Urges Newly Consecrated Bishop in DR Congo To Be “tireless pastor, full of zeal, charity, courage”

Molegbe, 08 July, 2025 / 8:06 PM

Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo has called upon the new Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Molegbe in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to minister tirelessly, manifesting generosity and bravery.

In his homily during the Sunday, July 6 Episcopal Consecration of Mons. Joseph Mopepe Ngongo, Cardinal Ambongo called upon the Congolese Bishop-elect to be faithful to the threefold Episcopal mandate of teaching, governing, and sanctifying, and to lead the Diocese of Molegbe with steadfast commitment and pastoral care.

“Faithfully transmit the faith received from the apostles by preaching the word, sanctifying the faithful, and governing your Diocese as a tireless pastor, full of zeal, charity, and courage,” the Congolese Cardinal said during the event at the courtyard of the St. Anthony of Padua Cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Molegbe.

He urged the Bishop-elect to “make Christ present in your ministry as an attentive father, a humble guide, a faithful witness, and a model for the flock.”

“Be the pastor of the flock of God that is entrusted to you, watching over them, not by constraint, but with a good heart; not by humility, but by devotion; not as a commanding master to those entrusted to you, but by becoming the model of the flock,” the Congolese member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap) said.

He urged the new Bishop of Molegbe to foster unity, saying, “You are called to build the unity of the Diocese of Molegbe in justice and truth. May your heart remain large, open, and welcoming to all, without distinction.”

“Be close to your Priests, your first collaborators. Value and encourage the different charisms of Consecrated Life that will arise in your Diocese. In the spirit of synodality, listen to the Diocesan community in its diversity,” Cardinal Ambongo said.

He expressed his awareness of gaps in Molegbe Diocese with an impact on pastoral ministry, including “poor communication infrastructure, inaccessible Parishes, proliferation of sects and new churches, inadequate lay and catechetical formation, poverty and misery among the population, and a growing tendency towards selfishness and tribalism.”

These challenges, the Congolese Cardinal noted, “can only be met if you carry out your Episcopal Ministry in the spirit of synodality, valuing the gifts and skills within your Diocese.”

He reflected on the sacred symbols that the Bishop-elect was to receive at Consecration – the pectoral cross, the Chrism oil, the episcopal ring, the mitre, and the crosier – saying that all these symbols signify his deep union with Christ and his spousal commitment to the Diocese of Molegbe.

“You have accepted to carry the Cross of Christ. Whatever the attacks, criticisms, or insults that may come, remember that Christ Himself was crucified. The holy oil I will pour on your head will configure you to Christ, transforming you from within,” he said.

Turning to the people of God, the Local Ordinary of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kinshasa, who doubles as President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) called for support and collaboration.

“Love him with all your heart. Pray for him and support him with sincere collaboration,” he said, and made a similar plea to the Clergy and women and men Religious. “Surround your Bishop with respect and filial obedience. Work with him in communion,” he said, and referring to Priests, added, “The strength of a Bishop lies in his presbyterium.”

The Bishop is not merely a colleague, but a spiritual father, Cardinal Ambongo went on to tell Priests, adding, “He will always remain your brother in the Priesthood, but from today, he is also your Bishop, your father. Share with him the pastoral concern for the Diocese of Molegbe. Nothing should be done without him.”

Cardinal Ambongo urged members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL) to “support the pastoral action of the Bishop through your testimony of charity and obedience.”

He added, “In a Diocese, only the Bishop gives pastoral orientations. The Religious Superiors are at the service of the Bishop in his Diocese.”

Pope Francis appointed Mons. Ngongo as Bishop for Molegbe Diocese on April 15.

Born in July 1966 in the Catholic Diocese of Molegbe, he was ordained a Priest in March 1995.

In his July 6 homily, Cardinal Ambongo thanked the late Pope Francis, who appointed Bishop Mopepe, and his successor, Pope Leo XIV, affirming that “by this appointment, the Pope expressed his pastoral concern for the Diocese of Molegbe.”

“The mission that Mons. Mopepe is about to receive is to bring joy, to embody renewal, and to build unity. The arrival of a new Bishop should be experienced as the dawn of a new beginning for the Diocese,” the Congolese Cardinal said.

The new beginning in the Congolese Diocese, he said, “requires an inner transformation—a call to leave behind the ‘old man’ of divisions and selfishness to become the ‘new man’ in Christ.”

“May the Holy Spirit enlighten and guide his steps by assuring him a fruitful and faithful ministry,” Cardinal Ambongo implored.

Consecrated on July 6, Bishop Ngongo is the eighth Local Ordinary of Molegbe Diocese that measures 79,000 km² with an estimated population of 948,728 Catholics, who represent 53.8 percent of the total population, according to 2023 statistics.

The Congolese Diocese that was erected in January 1935 as Apostolic Vicariate of Belgian Ubanghi before being elevated to a Diocese in November 1959 is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Mbandaka-Bikoro.

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