Catholic bishops in the Democratic Republic of Congo are pushing back at allegations that they are complicit in a plot to either oust President Felix Tshisekedi or to physically eliminate him. Source: Crux.
During a June 9 interview on Top Congo FM, Jean-Pierre Bemba, Deputy Prime Minister of the DRC, accused Catholic bishops of being part of a plot to overthrow Mr Tshisekedi or possibly eliminate him physically.
Mr Bemba also cited former president Joseph Kabila and opposition leader Moïse Katumbi as part of the conspiracy.
He claimed that the Catholic bishops were angry that Mr Tshisekedi had made primary education free and obligatory, including Catholic schools, thereby depriving the Catholic Church of an important source of revenue.
Mr Tshisekedi decreed primary education free in 2019, but the Church – which controls most of the primary schools in war-ravaged DRC – said the state needed to provide the financial means for the schools to function properly.
Mr Bemba claimed the Church and its “accomplices” have vowed to take down the president, no matter the consequences.
In a strongly worded statement on June 12, the Episcopal Conference of the DRC denounced the accusations as “reckless and unfounded” and could reverse the gains made so far in the effort towards peace in a country torn by conflict.
“The National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (CENCO) expresses deep dismay, though not surprise, at the offensive and irresponsible remarks made by Mr Jean-Pierre Bemba,” reads the statement signed by Archbishop Fulgence Muteba Mugalu of Lubumbashi, President of the Bishops’ Conference.
The archbishop clarified that since the 2023 electoral period, Mr Bemba has consistently positioned himself as “a hostile critic of CENCO, making repeated, baseless, and damaging allegations.”
“His statements have been reckless and defamatory, undermining the credibility of CENCO and threatening the climate of trust essential for national cohesion and peaceful coexistence,” the statement reads.
Msgr Donatien Nshole, the Secretary General of the Bishops’ Conference, voiced similar concerns.
“We denounce these serious accusations, without evidence, and are surprised by the silence of the country’s institutions. We call for peace, reserve the right to take legal action, and invite the faithful to pray for the person concerned,” he said in a video message on the official page of the Conference.
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Congo bishops denounce claim by political leader Church involved in conspiracy (By Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux)
