Congolese bishops ask government to set date for elections

Published: 2005-07-06

KINSHASA, Congo (CNS) -- Catholic bishops in Congo have called on their government to set a date for national elections amid rising instability and lawlessness. The elections were scheduled for June 30, but the transitional government suspended them without giving an explanation to the electorate or setting another date. The move prompted a strongly worded statement June 29 from the Congolese bishops, who warned the government that elections were the only sure way to restore stability in the central African nation. Saying they were responding to the "anguish of our people," the bishops said: "Our conscience as pastors and as citizens presses us to defend the dignity of human life created in the image of God. "Currently our fellow citizens are confronted by an uncertainty of what tomorrow will bring, growing insecurity and intolerable suffering," the bishops said.

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