Archbishop hopes violence in Central African Republic will not become sectarian

March 26, 2013

Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga of Bangui in the Central African Republic has called upon the country’s new leadership to ensure safety for all residents and to curb violence against Christians.

As the Seleka rebel group announced the suspension of the country’s constitution and imposed a curfew on Bangui, the archbishop reported that Catholics praying outside the city’s cathedral had been robbed and their vehicles seized. He questioned whether the crimes were intended to intimidate Christians.

Speaking to the country’s political leaders, Archbishp Nzapalainga said: "It is time to quickly put an end to these actions that could provoke in people's minds anti-religious sentiments or that might suggest that this crisis has as its objective the Christians as such."

 

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Further information:

• "Let us avoid the political crisis to become religious," said the Archbishop of Bangui (Fides)