en en en en en en en en en es en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en es en en en en en en en en en en ru en en en en en en en fr en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en fr en en fr en en en en en nl en en en en en en en en en en en en en de en sv en en de en en en en en de en en it en en en en en en en en en en en en
Pastor is temporarily stood down after criticizing a document issued by the Congolese bishops that encourages priests who have fathered children to seek laicization
By Lucie Sarr | Congo
A senior Catholic priest and scripture scholar in the Archdiocese of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo) has been temporarily suspended after fiercely criticizing the local hierarchy for urging clerics who've fathered children to voluntarily renounce the priesthood in order to fulfill their parental duties.
Father Aimé Lusambo, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in the DRC capital and a dean of the archdiocese, posted a video on social media on Holy Thursday in which he claims to know of a bishop who has four children.
The video, which quickly went viral, slams the Congolese bishops' March 4 exhortation "At the School of Jesus Christ. For an authentic priestly life".
It shows Father Lusambo, who did a doctorate in 2005 at the Rome-based Pontifical Biblical Institute, sitting in his rectory dressed in casual attire.
Holding a bottle of beer in one hand, he speaks to two or three other people who are off camera.
"Me, a priest, renounce my cassock? What will I have left?" he says in Lingala, the local language, as the people are heard laughing in the background.
"If I have four or five of them (children), who will raise them if you take away my cassock? Are you going to give me the money since there is no final severance pay in this service? Should I found my own Church?" Father Lusambo continues in the video.
"I have sacrificed my entire youth to the service of the Church and no one can take away this cassock. Otherwise, we will also ask the pope to suspend those among them who have children," he says.
Then, making a gesture of putting a bishop's hat on his head, he says: "I know one who has four".
Father Edouard Isango, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Kinshasa, issued a statement on April 21 to inform area Catholics that Father Lusambo had been "temporarily removed" as pastor of St. Francis de Sales pending investigations into the incident.
The majority of the Congolese clergy say that the priest has a great sense of humor and that he probably wanted to make people laugh by making these remarks.
"Even if the video makes people smile, what he says is not without meaning. If there are bishop-fathers, they should also be removed from the clerical state. Moreover, the question of the reintegration of dismissed priests is raised," said one of Lusambo's colleagues, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In an April 8 interview with La Croix Africa, the secretary general of the Congolese episcopate, Mgr Donatien Nshole, revealed that the National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (CENCO) has not made any general provisions to support women, children or priests involved in the unions described in the March 4 exhortation.
"The support is done on a case by case basis at the level of the dioceses. These are cases that the Church is called upon to treat with great humanity," he added.
Father Lusambo is highly regarded by Congolese Catholics and has been hailed for leading the laity during the 2017 and 2018 marches for democratic changeover.
Get the latest from La Croix International. Sign up to receive our daily newsletter.
You may also like
Orthodox Easter: Ukrainian Churches cannot escape the war
Viktor Orbán, the pope, and the cloak of Saint Martin
The paradoxical nature of God’s blessings
The pope's race against the clock
Celebrating World Earth Day is akin to celebrating God, family, says Vatican official
SUPPORT LA CROIX INTERNATIONAL’S COMMUNITY OF READERS
Support La Croix International's unique blend of international Catholic journalism by making it available to people in Asia and Africa who can't afford a subscription and often don't have credit cards to pay for it either.
Synodal virtues: valuing and extending theological education
Recently ordained Congolese bishop is big on synodality
Church leaders should engage social media’s Catholic influencers
The business of simply living a normal social life
Celebrating gay relationships in church is actually quite Catholic
Why Pope Francis did not attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
Celebrating gay relationships in church is actually quite Catholic
The elderly pope's patience is put to the test
Elizabeth II, the “last Christian monarch”, has died
A challenge for Europe
Shaking up the economy
Peace, our common good
For 70 years she “was” the United Kingdom
Cooperation rather than competition
The elderly pope's patience is put to the test
Francis continues his push for a humbler, more open Church
The pope and the praying menace
What was the August meeting of cardinals really about?
Is Christian hospitality enough?
"What fraternity does assisted suicide build?"
Live, learn, forget, repeat
When timing is paramount
The pandemic, Christian faith and the perils of kids living in the digital world
"It’s been powerful to watch people enunciate a theology of care for creation"
Laudato si’ guides Indian archdiocese to help fisherfolk
Brazilian bishops stand up for the Yanomami people
The Gaia Man, James Lovelock
Pope calls for a new relationship with God, others and Creation
| Catholic Digest | UCAN | Living in faith | La Croix Africa | La Croix español
About Us | Contact Us| Newsletter Sign-up| Donate| Terms and Conditions| FAQ| La Croix| Confidentiality Policy| Sitemap