Vatican official challenges Congo’s laity to strive for peace, reject polygamy, witchcraft

(July 09, 2012) The prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples who is currently on a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, last week praised the lay men and women who serve as “an excellent example of faith and charity through their engagement in the political, economic, and cultural field.” Speaking in Kinshasa, the nation’s capital, Cardinal Fernando Filoni outlined several challenges for the Congolese laity. “Conflicts, unhealthy rivalries, ethnic and tribal divisions, fetishism and witchcraft, the abandonment of the Church in favour of other sects or independent churches, all these evils are the result of a lack of depth of faith in a certain number of Christians,” the prelate noted. He said it was urgent to change these attitudes and behaviour which are contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. Another area in need of attention and pastoral commitment he said was the family, which he said was plagued by divorce and polygamy. Cardinal Filoni noted that in the current sociopolitical context of the country affected by armed conflict, struggle for power, displacement of people, injustice and rights abuse, the challenge is to make the Church, the Family of God, a true place of forgiveness, reconciliation and peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The nation of 72 million is 53% Catholic.