CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by ANB-BIA, Brussels, 21 February 2000
THEME = THE CHURCH
On 12 February, Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko of Bukavu was stopped
from returning to his Archdiocese
by the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) rebels, presently controlling Bukavu.
Because of the gravity of the situation which concerns many issues in Congo RDC,
ANB-BIA has put together the main facts gathered from various media reports,
and reports arriving directly in our office from Congo.
We have done this in the form of a day-by-day journal.
Readers should be aware that there may be some discrepancies in dates,
because of conflicting details in the reports
12 February - Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko arrived at Goma Airport, en route from Kinshasa (via Nairobi and Kampala) where he had been attending a meeting of the permanent committee of the National Episcopal Conference. He was prevented by the Rwandan- backed RCD rebels from disembarking, and the pilot was ordered to take off and land the Archbishop at Butembo. The plane left with the Archbishop, a priest and a nun. The Archbishop was ordered to leave the plane at Butembo, where he was born.
By way of immediate reaction, the Bukavu Diocesan College of Consultants informed the Faithful that there would be no liturgical activities in the parishes until their pastor was returned to them. The same applied to any social and professional services organised by the diocese. The faithful should stay at home and pray for the speedy return of their Archbishop. The College of Consultants published a letter in Swahili, Mashi and French, entitled: "Give us back our Pastor". The Protestant Churches offered their support as well.
13 February - The Church protest strike was a success. There were no Sunday celebrations in the churches; people stayed at home to pray and Bukavu was deserted. Local sources said Catholics were joined in the protest by Protestants and Muslims. From Rome, the reaction to Archbishop's banishment was immediate. The Director of the Holy See's Press Office released a Declaration in which was stated: "I am able to confirm that his Excellency, Mgr. Emmanuel Kataliko, Archbishop of Bukavu, was not authorised by the local authorities to return to his diocese, and is currently in Butembo, while waiting for permission to return to Bukavu. (...) The Holy See, which requests the unconditional return of the Bishop among his people, will use diplomatic channels to remedy such an unpleasant episode, that seriously violates the rights of the Church". The Vicar general of the Archdiocese of Bukavu, Mgr. Joseph Gwamuhanya, said: "I hope in a prompt resolution to the episode of Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko". He expressed his gratitude to all those who are showing friendship and solidarity with the Church of Bukavu and its pastor.
What was the reason for this action taken against Archbishop Kataliko? In an interview released in Bukavu and read over the TV by Commander Jean-Pierre Ondekane, a senior member of the RCD, the Commander directly accused Archbishop Kataliko of serious responsibility in the recent political-social troubles in South Kivu. He said: "A bishop that appeals for violence, is not a bishop. The RCD is not attacking the Church, but the individual, Archbishop Kataliko (...) The bishop backs Padiri (leader of the Mayi-Mayi of Bunyakiri), who is a rebel who kills the children of South Kivu. (...) Archbishop Kataliko is preparing a genocide (...) we want to spare the population."
What is certain is, that the RCD authorities are reacting to the Archbishop's Christmas Pastoral Letter (1999) in which the Archbishop laments that foreign powers, together with some Congolese, are organising war, using the country's resources. He said: "The same resources should be used for development, education of our children treating the sick, and making our lives more human, are being used to kill".
The measures against the Archbishop would appear to be part of the crackdown on the Catholic Church in the Great Lakes Region. (In April 1999, the Rwandan authorities had arrested and put on trial Bishop Augustin Misago of Gikongoro, Rwanda). The Archbishop has been an outspoken critic of the rebels and their Rwandan allies, often accusing them of human rights violations. The rebels had announced earlier in the week that they were planning to ban him and on 11 February, the Church authorities in Kinshasa insisted the rebels had no right to do so.
Bukavu Archdiocese is in the east, a part of Congo which has been occupied for months by rebels of the RCD led by Emile Ilunga. The Ilunga faction of RCD is the most pro-Rwandan of the rebel groups fighting President Laurent Kabila. Bukavu Archdiocese is no stranger to tragic events. On 29 October 1996, Archbishop Christophe Munzihirwa was murdered because he had the courage to speak out.
14 February - The cities of Uvira and Goma came to a standstill. With a general strike, the people wanted to demonstrate their solidarity with the Archbishop. In Goma, the strike was also intended as a protest against the regime of occupation in Goma for over a year now. Both the Catholic and Protestant schools of Bukavu remained closed. Even the secondary public school of Ibanda was forced to close for lack of teachers who adhered to the protest.
15 February - Representatives from the Church were asked to go to the RCD offices for an interview. They were harangued by the RCD officials who accused the Church leaders of "verbal violence". The Church leaders demanded that their Pastor, the Archbishop, be returned to them.
The leader of a Congolese resistance movement in Paris, Hamuli Rety, called on the rebels to respect freedom of movement. Rety, who heads the Committee of Resistance, Territorial Integrity and State of Rights, wondered why the rebels were bent on silencing church leaders whose sole responsibility of providing hope to the suffering people through words of encouragement, was being twisted to serve the selfish interests of the rebels. "I urge the Congolese in South Kivu to show solidarity with the Archbishop in order that he may be allowed back to his diocese", Rety said in an interview.
The same day, the Church of Christ in Congo, at an extraordinary meeting of its Provincial Executive Council in South Kivu, reacted against certain accusations made by sections of the Banyamulenge Community, against a number of the Church's leaders who are accused of inciting ethnic hatred and leading the people of Bukavu out on strike from 31 January-5 February. The Church of Christ considered the action taken against Archbishop Kataliko to be extremely grave as it was a direct response from the RCD to the Banyamulenge community's request to act and punish the accused.
16 February - Following his general audience, Pope John Paul II launched an appeal for the situation in Congo RDC. He called the action taken against Archbishop Kataliko "a grave violation of the prelate's personal freedom that inflicts pain on all Catholics. I pray that the meritorious bishop be allowed to return to his flock without delay. At the same time I appeal for the prompt implementation of the Lusaka Peace Accords, asking the Lord for unity and reconciliation for that beloved nation".
Various prominent figures in Goma have been arrested, accused of organising the strike carried out by the population on 14 February. Most of these people belong to the same ethnic group as the Archbishop, the Banande. In Uvira, the strike continued. This was a standstill of all social-economic activities. In other words, a "Ghost Town" operation.
Archbishop Kataliko is said to be in good health and is presently staying with the Bishop of Butembo.
17 February - Radio Goma announced that the Archbishop will return to Bukavu by the end of the week. However, it must be emphasised there were no confirmation from other sources in this regard. The same day, Emile Ilunga, leader of the RCD said he was temporarily moving his headquarters from Goma to Bukavu where civil unrest has paralysed commercial operations. He said he will investigate the discontent among the population. Ilunga said in a radio address: "The fact that, contrary to what happens on Kabila's side, such protests took place without being repressed violently, is at least proof...that freedom and democracy are tangible realities in territories controlled by the RCD. What remains for us now, is to discover, in a spirit of responsibility, the meaning of the protests".
Also, on the same day, the Bukavu Diocesan College of Consultants, in a letter addressed to the parish priests of the diocese, to be read in all Christian communities of the Archdiocese, urged the faithful: "To continue to pray within their families and Small Christian Communities; to pray for the Archbishop and for the Christian Community of Uvira where Father Remy Pepe and two civilian parish watchmen were murdered at Kiliba parish on 15 February.
18 February - The RCD has denied reports that it was responsible for the death of Father Pepe. An RCD official, Bizima Karaha, said the priest was killed by Mayi-Mayi warriors, on the instructions of Kinshasa, in an attempt to "discredit" the RCD.
20 February - For the second consecutive Sunday, there were no liturgical celebrations in the churches. The faithful remained united in prayer in their neighbourhood communities.
END
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