Congo bishop: Christ consoles us in midst of horror

December 30, 2009

A bishop in the western Democratic Republic of the Congo has emphasized in his Christmas and New Year’s message that “the Son of God became incarnate in our midst. Now our whole path is lit by his presence, free of all obstacles.” Christ’s presence illumines the faithful, writes Bishop Philippe Nkiere Kena of Inongo, when “on this night of misery and humiliation, most of us are discouraged and desperate.”

“The tragic date of 25 November is before our eyes: a hundred of our brothers and sisters drowned in a lake, our lake! In the eastern part of the country the war continues with all its disastrous consequences ... The hungry are more and more, our prisoners live in inhuman conditions, the unemployed are an ever greater number, as are the young people left to fend for themselves without education … The light that brings justice, peace, and reconciliation for us is a Person, Someone who is alive: Jesus Christ, the Peace of God for the universe.”

 

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Further information:

• Message from Bishop of Inongo: This night of misery and humiliation is illumined by a Presence (Fides)
• Bishop Nkiera Kena: Message de Noel 2009 (Fides)
• Missionaries warn of new Congo war, say minerals at root of Congo’s ‘silent genocide’ (CWN, 11/10/09)