The Third National Eucharistic Congress ended this Sunday, June 11, 2023 in Lubumbashi. During the final Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Louis Antonio, representative of the Pope, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Lubumbashi, Fulgence Muteba, gave a strong and clear speech against any attempt to divide the country. The clergyman regrets that the immense natural wealth of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) benefits its population so little. Copper and cobalt from Katanga, diamonds from Kasaï and wood from Equateur are among the resources that should ensure the country’s economic growth, but which are exploited “by a handful of people” according to Fulgence Muteba.
The 18,000 Catholic faithful from 48 dioceses in the DRC were receptive to his message, which was welcomed by political figures from all sides. For Tshikez Diemo of the PPRD, the opposition party, the archbishop’s call for responsibility is “more than necessary”, while Solange Masumbuko of the Sacred Union party recalls that the greed for natural resources was the one of the causes of the war in the DRC. She stresses, however, that the President of the Republic is actively working on a way out of the crisis.
In addition to the closing mass, two events marked this national eucharistic congress: the first communion of more than 2,200 children and the coronation of 15 couples who had reached their 50th anniversary of marriage.
In light of the current situation in the DRC, it is important to recall the importance of initiatives for the conservation and protection of endangered species, such as the project to reintroduce white rhinos into the Garamba wildlife sanctuary, led by the Barrick Gold Corporation, or even the inclusion of women in the mining industry, the subject of the last DRC Mining Week. Opposite, militia attacks and violence remain a worrying reality, as evidenced by the explosion in the number of armed groups in the province of North Kivu or the assassination of civilians in Bokokoma.
Despite everything, the DRC can find hope in the mobilization of civil society and the support of the international community, and thus pursue its economic growth and sustainable development.