Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Central Africa Welcome Peace Initiatives in Great Lakes Sub-region, Urge People-Focused

Kenya’s President William Samoei Ruto, the current Chairperson of the EAC and his counterpart of the SADC President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnagagwa of Zimbabwe co-chaired the Summit, during which a resolution to merge the EAC, SADC and African Union (AU) peace structures into one mechanism was endorsed.

“It was decided that the AU coordinate & ensure alignment of all regional and international efforts under an African-led process,” reads AU statement following the August 1 joint Summit, which also “adopted key frameworks to guide the inclusive mediation.”

The DRC has continued to experience a wave of violent conflicts with the recent occurrence being the July 27 attack  July 27 on Blessed Anuarite Komanda Parish of Bunia Diocese by rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

In their July 29 statement, ACEAC members condemned the deadly attack, describing it as “yet another illustration of the devaluation of human life that has plagued certain areas” of the sub-region for more than three decades.

“We strongly condemn the massacre of Christians, attributed to armed groups,” said the ACEAC Bishops, and went on to assure the families and relatives of the victims of their spiritual closeness.

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They said, “We offer our condolences to the people of Komanda for this tragic ordeal, to Bishop Fulgence Muteba, President of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO), and to Bishop Dieudonné Uringi, Bishop of Bunia.”

“We stand in solidarity with all those directly or indirectly affected by the consequences of these various crises and urge all Christians not to fall into indifference when members of our communities suffer, regardless of the nature of their suffering,” they added.

The ACEAC members offered to dedicate their prayers and acts of charity to the most vulnerable, especially women and children.

The Bishops recognized with encouragement the presence of “joint delegations of women from border Dioceses” of their three sub-regional countries, which were present during ACEAC sessions at the SECAM Plenary Assembly and on pilgrimage in Rwanda in solidarity with the Church’s pastoral commitment to peace.

The Catholic Church leaders welcomed the election on May 8 of Pope Leo XIV, the new Successor of Peter, whose early messages, they said, reflect “the greatness of a personality deeply committed to the cause of global peace.” 

“We therefore dare to hope that he will implore divine blessings upon our region, which he knows well, so that peace and coexistence may flourish, and bridges—not barriers—may be strengthened between families, peoples, and nations,” said the ACEAC Bishops in their statement on the sidelines of the SECAM event which is scheduled to conclude on August 1.

Nicholas Waigwa is a Kenyan multimedia journalist and broadcast technician with a professional background in creating engaging news stories and broadcasting content across multiple media platforms. He is passionate about the media apostolate and Catholic Church communication.