Declaration of Cardinal L. Monsengwo Pasinya on Presidential Elections in DRC
Posted on December 13, 2011
Translated by Jacques Bahati ( Download the French version here)
Archdiocese of Kinshasa
The Cardinal
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press,
1. Sunday, December 4th, 2011, the CENCO [the National Episcopal Conference of Catholic Bishops] in a press conference and at St. Anne Church, I have made an appeal asking CENI [National Independent Electoral Commission] to imperatively make public the truth according to the polls.
2. In fact, as desired by the people, CENCO published the findings of its monitoring and that of several national and international observers. All the monitoring conclusions pose serious questions of the credibility of this election, just as the Carter Center report claims as well.
4. But since the results are preliminary and must be confirmed by the Supreme Court of Justice, we strongly call upon those contesting the results to use legal remedies and not engage in violence. Eighteen deaths for elections is far too many.
5. In this context, the Church is morally bound to offer its assistance to justice to establish the truth from the polling stations where its observers were placed. Could the Supreme Court then feel conscientiously challenged by the Congolese people as a whole?
Done in Kinshassa , December 12, 2011-12-13
+L. Card. Monsengwo Pasinya
Archbishop of Kinshasa Metropolitan
Also read "Massive fraud in DRC poll "by Mr. Kenneth Mubu, South African Member of Parliament with the Democratic Alliance, and the Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
