Ordination Patrick Lonkoy Bolengu
Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Parish, Basankusu, DR Congo Ordaining Minister: Bishop Joseph Mokobe Ndjoku, Bishop of Basankusu. Appointment: Archdiocese of Kinshasa, DR Congo
6th April 2020
Congo (DRC)
DR Congo: Cardinal Tagle to Represent Pope at Eucharistic Congress
The appointment of Cardinal Tagle to represent Pope Francis at the Congress was made public Wednesday, March 18 at the Vatican and published by the Holy See Press Office. Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Tagle, while serving the Archbishop of Manila, Philippines, as the head of Propaganda Fide Prefect in December 2019, taking over from Fernando Cardinal Filoni. The 62-year-old Filipino Prelate also serves as the President … Read more
DR Congo: End of Ebola Outbreak – Lessons Learnt
Innovative medical technologies (vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics) are not enough to prevent and contain epidemics. What’s needed is the inclusion of social science as an important component of outbreak management. What I mean by this is that communities need to be engaged and empowered as primary partners in preparing and responding to an outbreak. But gaining their trust involves understanding their perception of control measures. … Read more
DR Congo: Bishops Castigate Government
In their collective statement, the Bishops in DRC have expressed concerns over corruption in the government saying, “we are witnessing the unjustifiable and scandalous enrichment of a handful of political actors at the expense of the vast majority of the population.” “To make matters worse, these misappropriations are the work of the very people who are called upon to be guarantors of the common good,” … Read more
Catholics in Scotland Come to the Aid of Victims of Sexual Violence in DR Congo
In 2010, Margot Wallstrom, the UN’s special representative on sexual violence in conflict, called the DR Congo the “rape capital of the world.” This Lent, Catholics in Scotland are being asked to help the victims of sexual violence in the Congo through the Wee Box campaign sponsored by the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF). ……………….. During the Feb. 26 launch of the Wee Box campaign … Read more
Basankusu, DR Congo: Rampant Infant Malnutrition
Two to five out of ten children, or 20 to 50%, from zero to five years suffer from chronic malnutrition, said experts from the National Nutrition Program (PRONANUT). These figures were released Tuesday, February 18, after a two-day workshop on the Revitalized Pre-School Consultation (PSC), which is being held in Mbandaka, Equator Province. According to experts, children who suffer from chronic malnutrition exhibit abnormal growth. … Read more
Contradictions of the Congo Seen through the Eyes of a Poet
You describe scenes in which a mother and her daughter have to trek for several days through the forest, fleeing fighting. Is this something you have lived and what are the threats to their existence as they run for their lives? I have not lived through this. My own experience of growing up orphaned at age one, being poor, suffering sexual abuse and beatings as … Read more
DR Congo: Music from the Margins
Staff Benda Bilili are a group of Congolese street musicians. They live around the grounds of the zoo in Kinshasa, and play music which is rooted in rumba, with elements of old-school rhythm’n’blues and reggae. The core of the band consists of four senior singers/guitarist, who are all disabled (they suffered from poliomyelitis when they were young) and move around in spectacularly customized tricycles. They … Read more
Basankusu, DR Congo: Mama Mimi Visits the Dentist
“The church bell rings at 5 a.m.” Mama Mimi explained. “I’ll be at your house by half past.” In Basankusu, dentistry is normally do-it-yourself. The conservation group for bonobos, (which are like chimpanzees, only better), had invited a dentist to come along. The conservation village is about half an hour upriver. Although the dentist would be checking-up on the bonobos, she would provide a free … Read more
