Inside DR Congo’s dynamic Catholic Church

Kinshasa,

As Pope Francis began his first official visit to Africa this week, the 86-year-old head of the Catholic Church found himself in a country where a huge Catholic following plays a substantial role in the country's public services, including health and education.

According to Vatican statistics, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has more than 52 million Catholic believers, out of a total population of 90 million. 

It is a flock that plays a significant role in Congolese society, not only spiritually but also in the provision of key services in a country that sprawls over 2 million square kilometres and spans some 2,200 km from east to west.

The church supports more than 13,100 elementary schools in the country and almost 50% of its healthcare facilities.

The DRC has the highest number of Catholic health facilities in Africa - at 2,185 - followed by Kenya with 1,092 and Nigeria with 524 facilities. 

While some of the health facilities were initially funded by the Vatican and Western countries, due to the chronic shortage of human, medical, material and financial resources in government health facilities, the local church has stepped up and developed health facilities and allocated medical workers in every diocese across the country. 

"In the beginning, there were subsidies from the West. They would support us in buying medical equipment, and it could make care cost a little less. We don't receive much assistance now but the local church contributions support the work," said Romian Kasongo, a doctor who works at Saint Paul Hospital in Lukasi, as well as in Lubumbashi.

In the Greater Katanga province in the southeastern DRC, the church has 236 health facilities, including 65 health facilities belonging to the Archdiocese of Lubumbashi. 

"The church can't preach to a starving or sick man. The starving stomach has no ears. We have therefore put in place these agricultural, health and education programs to improve the social life of our people, in addition to their spiritual growth. Our mission is to evangelise a healthy man," added Kasongo.

The Congolese people have known wars for over three decades, especially in the eastern part of the country. This has led to the underdevelopment and destruction of existing infrastructure, including hospitals and schools. 

With the coordination of the bureau diocesan des oeuvres medicals, the local Catholic Church has built new health facilities accessible to all people, regardless of political or religious affiliations.

"The church does not limit access to our health facilities. We do not have a political or religious character. We believe in ecumenism without discrimination," said Bernard Nzemba, coordinator of the Commission of Justice and Peace in DRC.

Nzemba believes that the Pope's visits to the country will positively impact health services. 

"In our country, if there is no war, it will contribute to having fewer patients injured from wars. When there is peace, people leave in harmony with each other so that we will see fewer patients with diseases or lesions on their bodies," said Nzemba.

"Pope Francis is our father in faith, an enlightening guide, a natural descendant of Christ, going through those who have inherited the first key of Christ. He brings the message of peace to this country. Peace for everyone, not just Catholics, because he does not look at politics, colours, or religions, Nzemba added.

The President of Conférence Nationale Épiscopale du Congo and Archbishop of Kisangani, Marcel Utembi Tapa, agrees with Nzemba's sentiments. 

"Pope Francis has always expressed his compassion, closeness and affection for the Congolese people experiencing severe suffering. The Sovereign Pontiff, who comes as an artisan of peace and as an apostle of reconciliation, does not come only to console, comfort, encourage and bring hope. By treading and kissing the Congolese soil, he comes to pour out divine blessings. 

"He also comes to understand the problems of the DRC, from the DRC, to see how to provide lasting solutions. It thus brings new life by supporting the efforts of the Congolese government for reconciliation, peace and development," said Tapa.

"Everyone believes in the Catholic Church's power to change the country's situation, especially given its place on the international scene," concluded the Archbishop.