Commemorating the life of Archbishop of Bukavu Emmanuel Kataliko killed on October 4th 2000
COMMEMORATING OF THE DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP EMMANUEL KATALIKO ON OCTOBER 4, 2000. SINCE THAT DAY UNTIL NOW THE PRESENT CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS ABANDONED THE EVANGELIZATION OF CHRIST THE SOCIAL, DETOUCHED FROM PEOPLE
Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko, a Mass will be organized today at St Joseph Catholic Parish/Cathedral in Goma in memory of him.
It’s 2:30 a.m this Saturday, there are bullets in my neighborhood in Goma as in your neighborhood too I assume, so I have decided to write these lines to remind you that we have no right to forgot our history and yet that’s what they are imposing on us, I spent 1h30 on my phone to compose this message which you will read for 5 minutes.
I am afraid that I may be the first to share this message with you and to remind you of the death of Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko of Bukavu on October 4th, 2000 of which the Catholic Church still owes us clear and accurate information on his death within the framework of Transitional Justice we should know the truth before forgiving, and asking for this truth is neither hatred nor revenge but to write our history.
On the evening of that day, news spread all over Bukavu that Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko has died in Rome where he was attending a Congress. Kataliko was the icon for the resistance against Rwandan aggression, he incarnated the hopes and aspirations of the entire people that longed for freedom, and his departure then was a shocking news. Emmanuel Kataliko was a target of Rwandan regime that controlled the whole eastern DRC, because he was critical to Rwanda military operations in DRC and called upon people to oppose these military operations. Allegations indicate that when Rwanda failed to assassinate him physically, it then opted to poison him through spies deployed in the Archdiocese of Bukavu among them Priests and nuns.
I have a bitter taste that 24 years after his death the Catholic Church, especially the Archdiocese of Bukavu, no longer remembers this great man of God (not even a Public activity) in our Parishes and sub-parishes, not even among actors of the Civil Society, it is a complicit silence absolute. This is an injustice to Emmanuel Kataliko, he does not deserve it, and he gave everything of himself up to the supreme sacrifice of his life for these people he loved so much. Forgetting this is to surrender the will of people yearning to be free, it is to kill our pride as nation, our identity and our history.
Currently even his fight for a Gospel which liberates the oppressed, for Peace, Justice and Human Rights no longer exists in the entire Catholic Church in DRCongo. Where have initiatives like Groupe Geremie, the Justice and Peace Commission, Caritas, the various News Papers, Popular Activities… gone?
The revival of the CLC which had begun initiatives to help Christians follow the Path of the Martyrs did not find enough support from the Catholic Church in Kivu, recently here in Goma, the Bishop Communicated that the CLC is not recognized in the Diocese.
Since October 2000 the Catholic Church of Kivu has lost its leadership while Emmanuel Kataliko gave up his life for a free Congolese society.
Instead of helping Widows, Orphans, Refugees, the Poor. ..in Society social efforts are directed towards providing food to Priests in various sub-parishes, and it is a competition.
Emmanuel Kataliko remains only in our hearts to us who had worked in the Catholic Church during this period when the Catholic Church was exactly the voice of the voiceless and embodied the hope of the people. 24 years now after his death, the Catholic Church abandoned us and confined itself in its comfort of indifference towards our current suffering. Send good shepherds into your vineyard lord, to follow in the footsteps of Martyrs like Emmanuel Kataliko.
Dear Emmanuel Kataliko, thank you so much for your struggle, I know you are frustrated to see that nothing remains of what you started but I am still here, and I think that through this message, other people will be mobilized.
R.I.P Dear Pastor
Thank you so much