Democratic Republic of the Congo–Holy See relations refers to the

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Holy See. The two states have seen an increase in their cooperation in recent years, and due to the large number of Roman Catholics in the DRC, President Joseph Kabila has made an effort to maintain good relations with the Vatican. The DRC maintains an embassy near Vatican City while the Holy See has an apostolic nunciature in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

. The current Congolese ambassador in the Vatican is Jean-Pierre Hamuli Mupenda (since 2010),Democratic Republic of Congo: National Reconciliation
Catholic News. Published April 29, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2017. while the Vatican's Apostolic Nuncio in the DRC is Archbishop

Luis Mariano Montemayor Luis Mariano Montemayor (born 16 March 1956) is an Argentinian prelate of the Catholic Church who has worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See since 1991. He began to serve in his present position as Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland in Febru ...

(since 2015).

History

Diplomatic relations between the two states were established in January 1977. About half of the population of DR Congo is Roman Catholic, being the single largest religious group in the country, and thus the Congolese Catholic Church is considered to have a large influence. It has received support from outside sources, most notably the Holy See. While accepting Ambassador Mupenda's accreditation in April 2010, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the Kivu conflict, saying that he hoped the state of war would soon end and that a national reconciliation process could take place. He also talked about the increase in relations between the Holy See and DR Congo.

Bilateral agreements

In May 2016, the governments of the DRC and the Vatican signed an agreement regarding matters of common interest, consisting of 21 articles. Those included the institutions of Catholic education, teaching of religion in schools, welfare and charitable activities of the Church, pastoral care in the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and prison and hospital institutions, as well as property tax and the obtaining of entry visas and residence permits for religious personnel. The document also establishes the legal position of the Catholic Church in the civil sphere of the country, and so the liberty of the Church to apostolic activity and regulate matters within its own competence.

State visits

On 26 September 2016, President Kabila visited Vatican City and met with Archbishop

Paul Richard Gallagher Paul Richard Gallagher, (born 23 January 1954) is an English prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Secretary for Relations with States within the Holy See's Secretariat of State (Holy See), Secretariat of State since November 2014. He ha ...

Secretary for Relations with States The Section for Relations with States or Second Section of the Secretariat of State is the body within the Roman Curia charged with dealing with matters that involve relations with civil governments. It has been part of the Vatican Secretariat o ...

of the Holy See. They discussed the close relations between the DRC and the Vatican and the role of the Church plays in the large Congolese Catholic population, as well as the necessity for a peaceful resolution to the recent political turmoil that has occurred in the country regarding the

2017 general election This national electoral calendar for 2017 lists the national/federal elections held in 2017 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 November ...

.Man-Son-Hing, Anthony. (September 26, 2017)
DRC at the Vatican
An Attitude of Gratitude. Retrieved March 17, 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Democratic Republic of the Congo-Holy See relations 1977 establishments 1977 in Christianity Holy See Congo, Democratic Republic of

History

Bilateral agreements

State visits

See also

References