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Let’s Make 2025-2026 “Pastoral Year of hope and peace”: Catholic Bishop in DR Congo

Bishop Sébastien Joseph Muyengo Mulombe of the Catholic Diocese of Uvira in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Credit: CENCO
Jude Atemanke

By Jude Atemanke

Kinshasa, 14 October, 2025 / 4:43 pm (ACI Africa).

Bishop Sébastien Joseph Muyengo Mulombe of the Catholic Diocese of Uvira in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has called on the people of God under his pastoral care to make the 2025–2026 pastoral year a time of hope and peace, in harmony with the ongoing Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year.

In a pastoral letter shared with ACI Africa on Tuesday, October 14, Bishop Muyengo invites Christians to embody the values of justice, fraternity, and reconciliation amid DR Congo’s persistent challenges of war, corruption, and division.

“Given the context of war, violence, and political turbulence that our country is currently experiencing, we have chosen as the theme for this pastoral year ‘The Hope of Peace,’” he explains.

The theme, he says, is meant “to build on the legacy of Pope Francis, who left us in the midst of a Holy Jubilee Year under the sign of hope, and to welcome the gift of the new Pope, Leo XIV, whose first words upon election were ‘Hope and Peace.’”

The Catholic Church leader emphasizes that even in times of war, poverty, and suffering, “one cannot live without hope; to live without hope is not to live at all.”

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He warns against hate speech and tribal divisions, urging Christians to rediscover hope through justice, reconciliation, and peace initiatives.

“Hope is also manifested in the desire to live together in fraternity, without distinctions of tribe, language, or social class. That is why, in these difficult times of conflict in Uvira, fraternity must become the new name for peace,” Bishop Muyengo says in the pastoral letter dated October 10.

He calls on the people of God to reject “all speech that incites hatred or discrimination,” while remaining vigilant against “any attempt to balkanize our country or to dominate us under the pretext of liberation.”

“We must not give in to the fanatical nationalism of those who sacrifice our people for selfish interests of power and wealth,” he adds.

Bishop Muyengo notes that “the greatest scandal among us Christians has always been division, a sign of the absence of genuine love,” which destroys peace in families, society, and the Church.

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He says the root cause of the nation’s suffering is the “lack of love—love for our country and for one another.”

“One does not take up arms against one’s own people or nation, except in defense of them,” the Local Ordinary of Uvira says, condemning those who prioritize personal gain over national unity.

Addressing the national army and local militias, he appeals for unity and discipline:

“If they truly fight for the same cause—the protection of our people and our land—let them work together toward that end, for otherwise their sacrifice loses all meaning,” Bishop Muyengo says.

He pleads, “Do not mistreat, kill, rape, or loot the very people for whom you have accepted to shed your blood in defense of their lives.”

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Turning to the youth, Bishop Muyengo calls them the “hope of peace” and urges the Diocesan youth commission to invest in their formation through choirs, prayer groups, and moral education.

“The youth, who are the future of the nation, must become the hope of peace in our society. Whoever desires peace must not prepare for war, but prepare peace, which begins in the heart,” he says.

He continues, “Yes, we can build peace, we can live fraternity, we can love each other and our country.”

Bishop Muyengo urges the people of God to continue the Jubilee Year program until its conclusion in January 2026, encouraging pilgrimages through the Holy Door. 

He invites Catholics to pray for peace in the DRC and the world, saying, “With hope, let us pray for peace in our country and in the world—that those who govern may work for greater peace and fraternity among people and nations.”

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He commends all Marian groups marking their Jubilee, invoking the intercession of Mary, Our Lady of Peace and of the Rosary, for regions suffering from conflict, including “Palestine, Israel, Sudan, and our own Democratic Republic of Congo.”

“May the light of Christian hope illumine every man and woman as a message of God’s love to all,” Bishop Muyengo implores.

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.