DRC: Cardinal Ambongo Raises Concern on the Congo Basin

BY CISA

KINSHASA, JUNE 29, 2021(CISA)-Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo,  Archbishop of Kinshasa speaking during the opening session of the weeklong workshop organized by the Episcopal Commission for Natural Resources of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) has called on bishops to protect and safeguard the common home.

“It is certainly impossible to avoid the use of products from nature in general and the Congo Basin in particular. However, it is entirely possible to coordinate and rationalize action on nature and especially on the Congo Basin in order to return this universal heritage to its original name of beauty and improve its capacity to offer all humanity its precious services,” Cardinal Ambongo said on June 21 adding everyone is responsible for the survival of the Congo Basin.

According to Cardinal Ambongo, the information received in the weeklong event will help the Church leaders to develop pastoral guidelines on environmental and natural resource issues.

“To commit ourselves as Bishops to the protection and safeguarding of our common home is a mark of our communion with the Holy Father and with each other…before the disaster caused by the violence that our insatiable modern societies exert against nature, Pope Francis raised the option of calling on all protagonists to protect it,” the cardinal said.

Speaking at the workshop he said it is through the bishops that the Pope’s call for environmental conservation can be realized, he wanted the whole human family to be involved in the search for solutions to the urgent need to safeguard our common home.

The workshop began on June 21 and ended on June 24, it brought together various environmental stakeholders in Congo.

It focused on the theme: “The Church of the DRC facing the challenges of the environment and natural resources for the protection of the Congo Basin and the safeguard of our common home