Kisangani, 30 May, 2025 / 9:02 pm (ACI Africa).
The church of St. Joseph the Worker Tshopo Catholic Parish of Kisangani Archdiocese in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was recently broken into, the tabernacle forcefully opened, and the Blessed Sacrament consumed by the desecrators, the Local Ordinary of the Congolese Metropolitan See has said.
In a statement shared with ACI Africa on Friday, May 30, Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa names the desecrator, condemns the May 19 incident as “heinous”, and directs the closure of the church for reparation.
“It is with regret that I learned, through my close collaborators, of the heinous desecration of the church of St. Joseph the Worker Tshopo Parish. This vile act has plunged the entire Christian community of the Archdiocese into distress,” Archbishop Utembi says.
He adds, “The desecration was carried out by Mr. Sylvacien Baelongandi Meli around 11:00 PM on 19 May 2025. He concretely committed the following acts: Cut the electrical wire supplying power to the sanctuary lamp of the tabernacle; destroyed and scattered on the ground the images representing the Stations of the Cross; forced open the tabernacle and consumed the Sacred Hosts; and displaced the Bible from the altar.”
“The perpetrator of this abominable act resides in Mangobo, at No. 5, Bambole block. He prays in a Pentecostal church called the Assembly of the Redeemed,” he further reveals.
