Cardinal Ambongo Exhorts Congolese Youths to Become Builders of Unity in Embattled Country

The Local Ordinary of Kinshasa Archdiocese, who also serves as President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) acknowledged DRC’s current challenges at the celebration that was themed “You too will bear witness, for you are with me” (John 15:27).

Cardinal Ambongo addressed ongoing conflicts in eastern DRC, displacement of populations, and the growing insecurity in Kinshasa. 

He encouraged youth to become agents of transformation in their communities, rejecting corruption, division, and violence, and promoting everyday acts of integrity and justice.

“It is in the whirlwind of this deep crisis that Christ the King comes to offer us the path of hope, unity, reconciliation, and peace. Therefore, dear young people, become witnesses of such a hope. You are called to fully participate in the life of our country and the Church,” he said.

The Catholic Church leader continued, “Do not search for your responsibilities, do not sleep, do not be distracted, but engage in a new Congo, a united, just, fraternal, and prosperous Congo.”

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Cardinal Ambongo also underscored the importance of the ongoing Social Pact for Peace and Harmonious Coexistence, a collaborative effort by the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) and the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC), aimed at promoting reconciliation and addressing the root causes of conflict in the Great Lakes region. 

He noted that any initiative that ignores the underlying causes of suffering and inequality would fail and potentially trigger new crises.

“This project is inspired by the concept of UBUNTU, our already relational being. Any other initiative that is limited to arrangements between politicians without taking into account the deep causes of the misery of our people is doomed to fail and will cause other crises if we do not bring together the Congolese people around a table to empty their bags,” he said.

On a small scale, Cardinal Ambongo said, “the path of unity, reconciliation and peace demands from you a commitment to everyday life against corruption and its procession of anti-values.”

Cardinal Ambongo called on young people to become active agents of peace and reconciliation, urging them to carry the message of Christ the King into their daily lives and communities as a source of hope for the future of the DRC.