By Robert Malley, SJ
Dear companions, greetings from Kimwenza!
“Holocaust in Congo” – a conference by Dr. Charles Onana
So many things have been said about the never-ending clashes between the rebel groups and the government army in eastern Congo. No one pretends to know the whole truth, and so we remain attentive and open-minded to understand the situation and explore ways to end this conflict. It is in this open-mindedness that scholastics and other people from various institutions around Kinshasa participated in a conference on this deplorable situation. The conference, held on Monday the 18th March, was facilitated by Dr. Charles Onana, a French-Cameroonian journalist and reputed researcher. It was based on his book, “Holocauste au Congo: L’omerta de la communauté internationale” (Holocaust in Congo: The omertà of the international community). Dr. Onana offered a military perspective to explain the origins of the conflict, describing it as a structured invasion of the Democratic Republic of Congo and linking it to the aftermath of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. He expanded the audience’s understanding of the conflict by identifying key actors and addressing the question “Is France an accomplice?”. He called out for action from the Congolese part, particularly the youths, citing the inspiring example of one of his role models, the late Monseigneur Munzihirwa SJ, a Jesuit Archbishop of Bukavu, who was martyred for his advocacy for the people. Being a French-Cameroonian and speaking about conflicts in Congo was to him being a citizen of the world and fighting injustice wherever it exists. This is a call for us as philosophers, citizens of the world, and religious, sent out to the world, to fight and address society’s challenges wherever we are.
A “tornado” in Kimwenza
On Monday, the 18th, at around 4 p.m., after the conference, there was a mild rainfall followed by a violent and strong wind. The wind only lasted for about 5 minutes but left behind significant destruction. This “tornado” left leaving several houses roofless and leaking, and broke down many trees, some of which fell onto the nearby buildings. Fortunately, there have been no reported deaths or casualties. Our community is now engaged in rehabilitation activities due to this unforeseen calamity. This event, unprecedented in the 70-year history of the University Loyola du Congo, was a catastrophic and unexpected occurrence that made us reflect on our spiritual journey and the unpredictability of life, reminding us that “we don’t know the day or the hour.”
Fr. Provincial canonical visitation in Congo, RDC
Our Provincial, Le Révérend Père Kizito Kiyimba SJ, visited us on the 21st and 22nd of this month. He met the 7 AOR Scholastics studying here in DRC. He also benefited from this visitation to celebrate his “first mass” in Kimwenza. He and all the members of the community were filled with joy. He also celebrated a mass with the AOR Jesuits in Kimwenza, shared breakfast, and enjoyed a small AOR outing where we raised a toast to the well-being of each one of us and the province. The evening before his departure, he, together with the provincial of AOC, who was also here on canonical visit, met the entire community where they shared the various aspects of their vocations, apostolates, provinces, and the Society. It was indeed a special moment for the community to host the two provincials simultaneously and to listen to their inspiring and eye-opening experiences.
Easter break
The whole of the faculty of philosophy, St. Pierre Canisius, is on a mid-semester break for the easter season. The break began on the 20th of March and will continue until the 01st of April. During this time of break, the community will have its easter Triduum from the evening of Wednesday, March 27th to Saturday, March 30th. We ask you for your prayers and rest assured of ours.
