Catholic Church slams Kabila for crackdown on prodemocracy protests
Kinshasa — The head of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC’s) Catholic Church condemned President Joseph Kabila’s government on Tuesday for a deadly crackdown on prodemocracy demonstrators, suggesting that his country was being turned into a prison. Tension between the government and one of the most powerful institutions has risen as the church has increasingly become a focal point for opposition to Kabila’s efforts to stay in power without a mandate. Security forces shot dead at least six people and wounded dozens more as they fired teargas to disperse a protest on Sunday that the church had organised, drawing widespread international condemnation. "We were dispersed by teargas, stun grenades and live bullets. We have again seen deaths, injuries, priests being arrested, and the theft of citizens’ property," Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo said at the church in the capital, Kinshasa. "Christians were prevented from praying. Others were prevented from leaving by … police and milit...
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