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Archbishop Kataliko dies: Africa loses a great son

Rome (Fides) - He survived civil war, all kinds of harassment, 7 months of exile from his diocese, only to die of a heart attack while in Rome for an important SECAM meeting of African Bishops.

The sudden death during the night of September 3, of 68 year old Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko of Bukavu (south Kivu region, in the East of Democratic Congo), recently elected vice-president of the Bishop's Conference of former Zaire was a blow to all the participants at the 12th general assembly of the Symposium of Bishops' Conferences of Africa and Madagascar being held Rocca di Papa, just outside Rome. SECAM is drafting a memorial statement on the life and work of this valiant son of Africa. The funeral will be held at Urban College chapel in Rome on October 5, presided by Cardinal Frederic Etsou Nzabi Bamungwabi. The body of Mgr Kataliko will be flown to Bukavu on Saturday October 7. Meanwhile Catholics in Mgr Kataliko's diocese Bukavu, fearing he may have been poisoned., have requested an autopsy. But fellow Bishops who saw him a few hours before say Archbishop Kataliko "was not well, he was tired and very pale".

Mgr Kataliko was born at Lukale, diocese of Butembo-Beni in 1932. Ordained a priest in 1958 and a Bishop in 1966 and had been Archbishop of Bukavu since 1997.

Cardinal Jozef Tomko, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP) sent a telegramme of condolence to Cardinal Frederic Etsou Nzabi Bamungwabi, Archbishop of Kinsahsa, president of the Congo Bishops' Conference. The Cardinal says: "We pray for the repose of his soulfor his archdiocese, for the whole region of Kivu and the Church in Congo, which he loved and served with generosity and apostolic zeal, to the very last instant of his life".

Archbishop Marcello Zago, CEP Secretary told Fides: "The death of Mgr Kataliko is a great loss for the Church in Africa. He was a zealous shepherd and he exerted great influence in his diocese and all over Kivu, the region of Congo occupied by foreign troops. The native and foreign invaders of this area realized this and tried to remove him from the area. Archbishop Kataliko stayed in Bukavu amidst all sorts of difficulties, until he was prevented from doing so and even then he did not flee; he did everything he could to return to his diocese: he is truly an example for all the Bishops of Africa." Mgr Zago met him several times. "I was always impressed by his pastoral concern: he was anxious to live and proclaim the Gospel even in difficult situations. His concern to obtain economic assistance for his people was secondary to his desire to proclaim the Gospel in an integral way, with a strong religious dimension but which had effect on the life of society".

On September 14, Mgr Kataliko was at last able to return to his diocese, after a long, suffered exile. He had been absent since March 12 when rebels of the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Democratie forced him to remain in Kinshasa and then in his native diocese of Butembo, where he was a guest of the Bishop.

The rebels were angered by Archbishop Kataliko siding with the people suffering occupation of foreign troops. In a Letter for Christmas 1999 he denounced "foreign troops, with the collaboration of some Congolese brothers, organize war with the country's resources". Congo Cardinal Etsou did all he could to help Mgr Kataliko return to his diocese. He made a ten day visit 4 -14 September to the eastern occupied region. Last month, after pressure from many sides, the rebels said that as 'part of a policy of reconciliation' they would allow Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko to return to Bukavu.

In Bukavu Mgr Kataliko succeeded Jesuit Bishop Christophe Munzihirwa Mwene Ngabo during a guerilla attack in October 29th, 1996.

Copyright -- Fides

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