The Catholic bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are
acting as mediators to ward off a national crisis created by President
Joseph Kabila’s refusal to relinquish his authority.
Kabila is approaching the end of his second presidential term, and
the DRC constitution does not allow for a third.
But Kabila has
persuaded some opposition leaders to support an agreement that would
keep him in office for more than year beyond his prescribed term.
Other
opposition leaders have rejected that deal, insisting that Kabila must
step down by December 19.
Kabila’s foes now argue that he is seizing power illegally, while his
supporters charge that the critics are undermining the government.
As
tensions rise, a Reuters report on the crisis notes that the Catholic
Church is “one of the few institutions to emerge from decades of turmoil
with its credibility intact.”