In Congo, Africa, the army tried to stop the Archbishop from celebrating Holy Mass on the Solemnity of Christ the King. Archbishop Fulgence Muteba Mugalu, who is also president of the National Episcopal Conference, denounced this “abuse of authority, ” by a general In the Democratic Republic of Congo. "The Archbishop was not intimidated by this illegal order, which is symptomatic of a blatant abuse of office, and went to Saint Sebastian as planned for several days, " said a statement of the Archdiocese of Lubumbashi. The archbishop ignored the order and celebrated Mass for a large number of faithful who welcomed him in a spirit of joy. It was Brigadier General Eddy Kapend Yrung who attempted to prevent the Archbishop from making a pastoral visit to the Saint Sebastian parish in the Vangu military camp, " under the pretext of the security situation. "
SEE the 7:22 Mark on the Video Below:
Late at night, he sent a message to the Catholic military chaplain of the military region, prohibiting the Archbishop's imminent visit to the parish. "Without being intimidated by this illegal order, which is a clear abuse of authority, the Archbishop went to Saint Sebastian as planned for several days, " declared the archdiocese of Lubumbashi, in a statement published that same evening. An enthusiastic crowd joined the church of Saint Sebastian and Archbishop Muteba Mugalu was able to celebrate the Eucharist of Christ the King in an atmosphere of fervor and piety, without any incident. " The Archdiocese of Lubumbashi totally disapproves and condemns the audacity of General Eddy Kapend, against respect and freedom of religion, guaranteed by the Constitution, as well as the Framework Agreement between the Holy See and the Democratic Republic of Congo, " the statement continued. " We must also remember with Saint Paul that the word of God cannot be chained. " This is also the second episode of tension between the Church of Lubumbashi and the Congolese military after the kidnapping, on November 18th, of a seminarian at the Saint-Paul Interdiocesan Major Seminary in Lubumbashi. The young man was kidnapped in the courtyard of the seminary and released the same evening. According to the archdiocese, this incident was linked to a land conflict around the concession of the Major Seminary, which is the subject of recurrent expropriations. " These acts are neither fortuitous nor the work of common bandits, but are linked to the maneuvers of those who illegally appropriate the lands of the Church, " affirms Archbishop Muteba.
Comments