DR Congo: Christmas homily "appeased" for Cardinal Ambongo of Kinshasha
The Archbishop of Kinshasa, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu.
REUTERS / Baz Ratner
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
First “soft” and less political Christmas homily for Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo since his appointment as head of the Archdiocese of Kinshasa in 2018. Recognized for his harsh criticism, the prelate did away with topical issues in his homily at Notre-Dame du Congo cathedral.
He nevertheless noted without further details that Christmas is celebrated "
in a difficult context of the history
" of the country.
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With our correspondent in Kinshasa
,
Pascal Mulegwa
It is 7 p.m., the procession of the cardinal crosses the hedge of the cathedral, it is the beginning of the worship, then this moment when Fridolin Ambongo uses his frank talk.
"
Our people, the Congolese people suffer in front of the indifference of those who are comfortably seated in their houses, those who are comfortably installed in the material conditions which do not doubt anything, such as the misery of the others, the difficulties of communication in Kinshasa, it is not their problem
”.
In the background, the Archbishop pleads against the stubbornness of the executive despite the injunctions of Parliament to abolish the tax on the register of mobile devices.
An annual tax of less than $ 10 levied on any phone holder for more than a year.
For the cardinal, "
it is time for things to change
".
"He has the sense to tell the truth
"
In the courtyard of the parish, the cardinal is well known by his faithful Eric and Bilale.
“Our spiritual father did not really approach the political aspect as he usually does from time to time, it is an exceptional day […] He cannot preach without talking about life, of the daily life of its population.
He has the sense of telling the truth
”.
The truth for Fridolin Ambongo is that the country is bogged down in a spiral of violence, the exploitation of the poor and the abuse of power because of “
revolting egoism
”.
The cardinal was expected on several questions.
From the electoral commission, to political tensions or the security situation.
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To read also
: In Africa, the preparations for Christmas follow one another and are not alike
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