They further say that their “commitment is also aimed at strengthening awareness of our destiny as brothers and sisters of the entire Great Lakes region, and indeed of the whole of humanity.”
“We wish to revitalize our structures and commissions to accentuate the culture of peace and education in active non-violence, in order to prevent conflicts from escalating, or to manage them through positive approaches to dispute resolution,” the Catholic Bishops in Burundi, DRC, and Rwanda say.
They express their desire to “continue to collaborate with all national, regional and international institutions that are determined to pull the Great Lakes region out of the spiral of violence that plunges people into mourning on a daily basis, and forces them into poverty in an environment that is blessed by God with many riches.”
“We are aware that building peace is not an isolated act, but a joint and collective endeavor, involving various layers of society and structures of various kinds,” the Catholic Church leaders say.
They acknowledge with appreciation efforts towards peace in the region, saying, “In the spirit of collaboration, ACEAC reiterates its gratitude to all those who, in the international community, within our governments, institutions and communities, are working tirelessly, sometimes at the cost of their lives, to restore hope of justice and peace to our peoples.”
They reach out to “all those who, far or near, continue to sow death, desolation and division in our region,” exhorting them “to heed the Church's call to universal solidarity, and let themselves be guided by the search for integral human development.”
ACEAC members focus their attention to the protracted conflict in DRC. They say, “We also make a fraternal appeal to the public authorities of the region to do everything in their power to put an end to the suffering of the people of Eastern DR Congo.”
“We also encourage them to build bridges of peace between our States and our peoples, by creating conditions conducive to living together in fraternity and complementarity,” they say.
The Catholic Bishops recommend that the people of God in Burundi, DRC and Rwanda, especially young people and women, “do not give in to manipulation, hate speech and division.”
“We are convinced that the peoples of Burundi, DRC and Rwanda want to live together in security, collaborating with each other and with governments to put an end to conflicts between states and between communities,” the Catholic Church leaders say.
