Tributes are rising in the Democratic Republic of Congo following the death of Laurent Monsengwo, Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Kinshasa. He was the most famous figure in the Catholic Church in Congo, president of the Bishops’ Conference in Zaire, already critical at the time of Marshal Mobutu. Despite his opposition to all regimes for 30 years, the tributes on Sunday night were unanimous.
as reported from Kinshasa, Sonia Rolley
President Tshisekedi “greets a prince of the Church who has long served the people.” Its main opponent, Martin Fayulu, qualifies Cardinal Monsengwo as “the nation for the cement of cohesion”. Former Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba says he retains “the image of a happy, altruistic and devoted father for the Congolese Church”. The former governor of Katanga, Moise Katumbi, it for a brave shepherd linked to cultivating love between all Congolese.
President Tshisekedi pays tribute to this living prince of the Church who worked long in the service of the people. Cardinal Monsengwo was one of the most important players in the democratization of our country.
– RDC Presidency ?? (@Presidence_RDC) 11 July 2021
Even in ex-president Joseph Kabila’s camp, his former diplomatic adviser Barnabé Kikaya praises “a great man and a fine political actor.”
Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo was a pillar of democratization in his country. This is what everyone recognizes. For the role he played at the time of the Sovereign National Conference, of course, but he remained a reference among young people, such as those from Lucha, the civic movement, who say they are deeply saddened by Cardinal Monsengwo’s death for which he was “a model of commitment and courage in the face of the denial of democracy and the injustices that endure “.
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For Monsignor Fridolin Ambongo, who succeeded him as head of the Archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Monsengwo was “this great moral authority against which many people still went. Everyone still remembers him during the sovereign national conference with his calm, very balanced temperament, quiet even in the midst of the political tensions that existed under Mobutu. He was always a measured man who tried to get people back to basics and his whole life has been like that “.
For Isidore Ndaywel, the Congolese historian, specialist in the Catholic Church, who chaired the secular coordination committee at the beginning of the Christian marches in 2017 and 2018, “the Congolese people have just lost one of their greatest defenders.”
This is very sad news and we all remain Congolese in this great feeling and want to express our sympathy to all those who love this country.
Isidore Ndaywel, Congolese historian and specialist in the Catholic Church
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