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Catholic Bishops in DR Congo Call for Implementation of Social Pact for Peace, Harmonious Coexistence amid Crises

Jude Atemanke

By Jude Atemanke

Kinshasa, 21 May, 2025 / 9:04 pm (ACI Africa).

Members of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) have appealed for national unity and reconciliation through the implementation of a Social Pact for Peace and Harmonious Coexistence, as the country grapples with political, security, and humanitarian crises.

The Social Pact for Peace and Harmonious Coexistence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes is an initiative of members of CENCO in collaboration with their counterparts in the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC). In the pact, the church leaders in DRC seek to mobilize the various stakeholders in the Central African nation to chart a path out of the country’s protracted instability.

In a statement issued May 17 following their 62nd Plenary Assembly in Kinshasa, Catholic Bishops in DRC lament “war and inter-community conflicts that have been raging for several years, regularly plunging the DRC into mourning and bloodshed in the Great Lakes region, are spreading and seriously threatening the country's territorial integrity and national unity.”

They condemn “the loss of thousands of human lives, cases of rape and the massive displacement of populations.”

CENCO members also faulted the manipulation of the judicial system and land expropriations affecting the Church, lamenting the “scandals that have come to light in the handling of electoral disputes,” which they say remain unpunished.

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They further lament how armed conflict has drained national resources, especially in the east of the country, where the closure of banks and airports under rebel control has left families in “difficult and precarious living conditions.”

Against this backdrop, CENCO members emphasize that “lasting peace is our priority,” proposing a Social Pact for Peace and Harmonious Coexistence as a citizens’ response to the country’s ongoing crises.

“This is a peace process designed to mobilize the Congolese people to combat everything that stands in the way of their development and integral well-being,” the Catholic Church leaders say.

They caution against reducing the national forum into “a power-sharing negotiation”, adding that instead, “it should enable a critical rereading of the country’s history, led by scholars, to uncover root causes of recurring crises and propose public policies for national renewal.”

“The Social Pact aims to lead to a consensus-based national reconciliation, laying the groundwork for an international conference for peace in the Great Lakes Region, while safeguarding the country’s constitutional order and promoting a spirit of brotherhood and tolerance,” CENCO members say.

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They call on President Felix Tshisekedi to trust religious leaders in “facilitating the implementation of this initiative.”

“History will remember that it was under your impetus that the Congolese reached a consensus on better governance of the country,” the Catholic Bishops add.

CENCO members urge politicians to put aside their “struggles for the conquest or preservation of power in order to reflect objectively on a project for society that will bring peace and establish good living together among the Congolese people.”

They call on members of the civil society to “undertake to contribute, through research and analysis, to the production of reliable and viable roadmaps during the citizen workshops. This means making the fruits of your expertise available to the nation.”

The Catholic Bishops urge the Congolese to make the Social Pact for Peace initiative their own, while remaining “vigilant, and not allowing ourselves to be manipulated by those who promote their own personal interests to the detriment of the Nation.”

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They extend their solidarity and spiritual closeness to citizens suffering violence in Eastern DRC, urging them “not to lose hope of regaining the integrity of their country and living in respect for human dignity.”

CENCO members further urge the international community to “remove their hands from DRC”, for “it is not a mine to be exploited, nor a land to be robbed.”

The Catholic Church leaders invite all Congolese to a novena of prayer from June 6 to 15 ahead of the 65th anniversary of independence and the Beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi.

“May the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Peace, intercede for our country and our Great Lakes Region,” CENCO members implore.

Jude Atemanke

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.