Central African Republic: “Little by little, hope is being reborn,” bishops say
Although the country now enjoys a fragile peace, there is still insecurity, leading the bishops in Central African Republic to appeal to the international community not to forget the African nation. The Church, they say, will continue to play its prophetic role.
A unique spirit of dialogue and cooperation between Christian and Muslim leaders set the foundations for peace in the Central African Republic (CAR) following a brutal civil war. In this respect, the CAR stands in stark contrast to nearby African countries such as Chad, Nigeria and the Sahel region, where religion is often used to aggravate conflict and persecution.
According to a group of CAR bishops who visited the headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need International (ACN), the Catholic Church has been at the forefront of this effort to foster dialogue, hand-in-hand with leaders of other religions.
The Archbishop of Bangui, Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga, along with Bishop Nestor-Désiré Nongo-Aziagbia of Bossangoa and Bishop Bertrand Guy Richard Appora-Ngalanibé of Bambari, spoke of the “prophetic” role played by religious leaders to promote peace and harmony in the country.
The civil war, which saw the Seleka militia fighting against the Anti-Balaka movement, could have developed into a full-scale war between Muslims and Christians. But Bishop Nestor-Désiré insisted that this was avoided by the commitment of religious leaders themselves. “Leaders across the religious denominations came together to work to sustain peace in the Central African Republic. The leaders of the Catholics, the Protestants and the Muslims, went around the world in a plea to make their voice heard. Unfortunately, their voices were not really understood and respected in regard to the geopolitical situation, because what was underneath was bigger than religion,” he explained.
Cardinal Nzapalainga agreed: “Religion does not divide us; religion connects us to one another. Muslims, Protestants, Catholics, we must love each other, because we are brothers. It is the devil that has pushed us to separate, but we believe that by taking on this leadership we are fulfilling our prophetic role, saying no to violence, yes to love, yes to peace, yes to reconciliation.”
The Cardinal spoke of peace as “the foundation for development, so that people can envision a future different from war. That’s why our role is to be artisans of peace, to speak to hearts, to speak so that people can look each other in the eyes, discuss, find solutions together. The solution is in dialogue.”
“Today, little by little, hope is being reborn. And this hope allows children to go to school, parents to go to the fields, traders to carry on their work, and the sick to receive medicine,” said Cardinal Nzapalainga.
The presence of a UN mission and the intervention of foreign powers has helped quell the violence, but insecurity remains in some parts of the CAR, as bands of fighters resort to criminality. The country still needs a significant amount of aid, but wider geopolitical issues are proving to be an unwelcome obstacle, Bishop Nestor-Désiré explained. “The opening of our government to the Russian government, has sidelined the CAR at the international level. Help is not really coming freely nowadays. But the population shouldn’t be punished because of the decisions made by the government. My appeal to the international community is to keep on supporting the Central African population as it strives towards peace and development,” he pleaded.
The Catholic Church, he assured, will continue to carry out its role, which he described as “a prophetical role, standing for the truth, speaking for the people, regardless of the situation or the stand of the government, working with the people and other institutions, including the government, to promote peace, integral human development through schools, health centres, and human promotion. That is the work the Catholic Church has been involved with over the past decades.”
This work benefits immensely from the support given by ACN, said Bishop Guy Richard. “Those who help us, such as ACN, enable the priests, bishops, religious brothers and sisters throughout the country to continue their work. The support from our benefactors goes beyond funds, focusing on pastoral work on the ground, and we would like, on behalf of God’s people in the CAR, to express our gratitude to ACN for its care and support.”
