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 Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
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| Type | National polity |
| Classification | Catholic |
| Orientation | African Christianity, Latin |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Catholic theology |
| Governance | ECDRC |
| Pope | Francis |
| President | Marcel Utembi Tapa |
| Apostolic Nuncio | Ettore Balestrero |
| Region | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Origin | 1483 Kingdom of Kongo |
| Members | 61 million (55.8% of the DROC population[1]) |
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Catholicism has a major presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
According to the 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom, an estimated 47.3% of the population are Catholic.[2]
There are six archdioceses and 41 dioceses.[3] The largest of these is the Archdiocese of Kinshasa. Its archbishop, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, is the president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar.
The impact of the Catholic Church in the DRC is difficult to overestimate.[4] Schatzberg has called it the country's "only truly national institution apart from the state."[5][4] Besides involving more than 50 percent of the population in its religious services, its schools have educated over 60 percent of the nation's primary school students and more than 40 percent of its secondary students during the 20th century.[4] The church owns and manages an extensive network of hospitals, schools, and clinics, as well as many diocesan economic enterprises, including farms, ranches, stores, and artisans' shops.[4]
- ^ "Congo, Democratic Republic of the". Association of Religion Data Archives. 2015. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "US State Dept 2020 report: DRC, International Religious Freedom" (PDF). United States Department of State.
- ^ "Structured View of Dioceses in Africa [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
- ^ a b c d Almquist, Alden (1994). "The Roman Catholic Church". In Meditz, Sandra W.; Merrill, Tim (eds.). Zaire: a country study (4th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. pp. 112–116. ISBN 0-8444-0795-X. OCLC 30666705.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Politics and Class in Zaire: Bureaucracy, Business and Beer in Lisala - Michael G Schatzberg. Africana Pub.Co. (Feb 1980) ISBN 0-8419-0438-3
