By RFPosted on 06-10-2019Modified on 06-10-2019 at 13:53

The ceremony by which Fridolin Ambongo became a cardinal was very attended this Friday, October 5 at the church of Saint-Albert of Kinshasa, where officiates the abbot Vincent Tshomba, who is like the new cardinal: involved in the political fight for elections when Kabila's last term was extended.

In December 2017, Father Tshomba of the Saint-Albert church in Kinshasa launched " Operation Bell ", not seeing the elections negotiated for the end of the year by the Catholic Church with the political class. From his parish, Father Tshomba rang the bells every night at 9 pm and called his parishioners to make noise.

" It was a kind of awakening ," he explains. Awakening consciences, but also as a kind of exorcism to free the people from fear. As a kind of preparation for that, we organize marches. "

Encourage the democratization of the country

Father Tshomba told the faithful the news in Lingala. His archbishop Fridolin Ambongo became the second cardinal of Congo. Since 5 October, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has two cardinals.

After Laurent Monsengwo, Fridolin Ambongo was one of the 13 cardinals "created" on October 5 by Pope Francis. For Father Tshomba, the pope chose him to encourage the involvement of the Congolese clergy in the democratization of the country.

" The key word of the Pope's message was compassion ," says Father Tshomba. But he returned to the symbolic aspect too, the skin color, the red which is the color of the sacrifice. Be prepared to shed blood to show that the Church continues to get involved, that it can not stop somewhere. This must continue . "

The parishioners of the parish of St. Albert also claim it, in a country where priests and faithful have been beaten or killed before their churches for demanding democratic opening or the organization of elections.

To read also: Archbishop of Fridolin Ambongo, Archbishop of Kinshasa, created cardinal by the pope

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