Dr Congo: catholic church warns against ‘rupture of the republican pact’ over constitutional changes
dr Congo: catholic church warns against ‘rupture of the republican pact’ over constitutional changes
- Politics
In a strongly worded statement, the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) has condemned attempts to amend the country’s constitution, originally adopted on February 18, 2006. The Catholic Church asserts that any alteration to the constitution’s entrenched provisions could plunge the nation into “enormous risks, including balkanization.”
The Catholic Church is taking a firm stance against any moves to modify the constitution. Donatien Nshole, serving as CENCO’s spokesperson, publicly voiced concerns, describing the efforts as a tactic designed to “secure another term for the current President of the Republic.”
CENCO views such a maneuver as undermining a “historic political compromise, hard-won after all the crises the country has endured since independence.” The episcopate specifically targets the recently enacted referendum law, which it believes was passed “under the guise of filling a legal vacuum.”
According to Donatien Nshole, this new law could pave the way for a public consultation that would illegally modify “intangible matters already safeguarded by Article 220,” thereby violating the constitutional order.
The CENCO spokesperson emphasized that Article 220, which notably restricts the number and duration of presidential terms, serves as “a crucial safeguard against dictatorship and the privatization of the state.” The Church’s warning also extends to the potential ramifications of such changes. “Any forceful progression in this direction carries immense risks, including the balkanization of the country,” Donatien Nshole declared. He further expressed apprehension about the “onset of another civil war” within a climate where “political rivalries often take on ethnic and tribal dimensions.”
Following what it described as “profound discernment,” CENCO affirmed that it perceives “neither the necessity, the urgency, nor the opportuneness of changing the constitution.”
For the Catholic Church, the paramount priorities for the Democratic Republic of Congo remain “peace, the social welfare of the Congolese people, unity, and national cohesion.”