In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the plane landed from Paris with the remains of Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo on the afternoon of Sunday 18 July at Kinshasa Airport. The former archbishop of the DRC capital died on July 11, aged 81, in Versailles, near the French capital. He will have spent a large part of his life fighting for democracy. Many personalities were present at Ndjili International Airport to welcome the remains of the deceased.
With our special correspondent in Kinshasa, Sonia Rolley
Many personalities such as the Prime Minister, ministers, presidents of the two chambers and, of course, representatives of the churches were present. Deputies also – all political stripes together – also the parish rapporteur for the parish, Colette Tshomba, who told about the differences between her camp, Joseph Kabila and Cardinal Monsengwo who have always been critical of the existing regimes. “He did not always understand. People suspected him of wanting to be in politics, she explained.
The feelings were already there this morning … It was the priests in the archdiocese of Kinshasa who spoke about the cardinal’s commitment to improving the living conditions of the population. “He was the first to criticize the outcome of the 2006 election and since then he has not stopped speaking out against injustice,” one of them reported passionately.
There were also students who benefited from the Laurent Monsengwo Scholarship. “Thanks to him, this country has doctors, lawyers, architects and even journalists like me,” explains one of them, narrow-minded.
Everyone praises the good father, hard, demanding but understanding in the face of life’s difficulties. This is what also told one of his little nieces, a future surgeon. She remembers that she was unhappy with her results. The cardinal insisted on the importance of what was in his head and heart.
#RDC #Monsengwo: “The cardinal has done a lot to keep the country united. He made many shuttles between Kinshasa at Gbadolite. He had more than one trick up his sleeve. He did everything to get the political class to come together to talk. », Says @PLukwebo
– Sonia Rolley (@soniarolley) July 18, 2021
Read also: DRC: unanimous tributes after Cardinal Monsengwo’s death
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