Catholic bishops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have expressed their “spiritual closeness and solidarity” with victims of the recent floods and landslides that struck the capital city of Kinshasa and surrounding areas, leaving scores dead and causing widespread destruction. At least 33 people were reported dead and thousands displaced following the April 5-6 flooding that cut access to over half of the capital. The floods reportedly occurred when the N’Djili River, which runs through the city of an estimated popu-lation of 17.8 million, burst its banks and submerged major roads.
In a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, on April 9, members of the National Episcopal Confe-rence of Congo (CENCO) con-veyed their compassion and assured their prayers for those affected by the devastating natural disaster, which followed torrential rains during the night of April 4-5. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic events caused by the torrential rains … resulting in the loss of human lives and significant material damage,” CENCO members said in their statement.
They expressed their “spi-ritual closeness and solidarity” with Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, archbishop of Kinshasa, and Bishop Jean-Crispin Kimbeni of Kisantu. “With them, we share in the suffering of all those in the heavily affected areas,” they said. “As shepherds of the people, we welcome the measures taken by the Congolese government and the arrangements put in place to assist and shelter those living in the flooded zones,” the statement said. They also appealed to “humanitarian organizations and to the solidarity of all people of goodwill to support the victims of these disasters.”