Monsignor Emanuel Kataliko, Archbishop of Bukavu (South Kivu,
Democratic Republic of Congo) sent a Lent message to the faithful of
his archdiocese in which he expressed the sufferance of his exile.
'If it is God's will that I be far away from you, (...), I place myself in His hands. May 'His' will be done (Sl. 142, 10; Mt. 6, 10)' , wrote the prelate from Butembo, location in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the Archbishop has been relegated since the 12th of February. Monsignor Kataliko, in the pastoral letter, offers his faithful an immensely spiritual biblical rereading, which on one hand reaffirms the role of the Church in former Zaire and on the other recalls the evangelic value of hope. The reflection is centred on the passion of Christ, exemplary model of Christian life. 'Jesus had to bear the growing hatred by religious leaders that witnessed their Temple and Faith be jeopardised. In their eyes, -reads the text-. His way of living and praying, his liberty in relations with the constituted power, his fight in favour of the poor and marginalised... had become unbearable'. Jesus' testimony, explained the prelate, 'could have caused divisions and triggered a severe intervention of the Roman army'. Though in the text Archbishop Kataliko does not directly refer to the presence of the military contingent of the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD), his words express the desire for freedom and democracy of his people. People with whom the Archbishop is in profound communion. 'When I think of your sufferance, your sacrifices, your pleas and those of all the people of Kalonge, Bunyakiri, Burhale and all the nearby regions, tears come to my eyes'. Before concluding his message to the faithful, Archbishop Kataliko exhorted the Church of Bukavu to never give in. 'We must above all remain united, without relenting to the temptation of discouragement, pessimism and personal interests. Let us resume our habitual activities to avoid being suffocated. Students must return to school. Without forgetting liturgical ceremonies, sources of spiritual strength and our courage, to seriously confront the future'. The text of the message, read last Sunday throughout the Catholic communities of Bukavu, is dated 15th of March 2000.