“Bearing witness to God’s Love for peace and development” Caritas Africa Regional Conference Libreville, Gabon, July 2006 Denis Viénot, President of Caritas Internationalis


Your Excellencies, Dear Brothers and Sisters, Dear Friends,
Msgr Jean Bosco Ntep, President of Caritas Africa, and Father Pierre Cibambo, Head of the Africa Desk at the Caritas Internationalis General Secretariat in Rome, asked me, as President of our Confederation, to give you a talk in the light of the encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, on the dynamics of Caritas from three standpoints: the vision of Caritas, the actions of Caritas and future directions. Therefore, I will follow this three-point plan, but I would like to forewarn you that, regarding the examples I intend to draw on, I have given priority to choosing ones from Africa so that our dialogue can be based on the realities you are very familiar with. However, do not forget that all the examples given also echo situations in Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Oceania. We are moving towards the June 2007 General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis, whose theme will be “Witnesses of charity, builders of peace”. Like a good recipe, it will thoroughly combine selected ingredients: deepening of our roots in the light of global issues; the 40th anniversary of Populorum progressio and Deus Caritas est; and preparation of the joint strategic plan for 2007-2011. This is the spirit in which I address you: values and actions, roots and outcomes.

The vision: the Kingdom of God

To begin with I have chosen a first example from another planet; it will be my only exception. We are on a planet that has a heaven and a hell. This entirely fictitious anecdote was told to me by Monseigneur Rodhain, President of Caritas Internationalis in the 1960s and founder of Secours Catholique, who had imagined a character called Sidney, who was his sexton. Here’s the story. Sidney, an inveterate sexton, dreamt that on arriving in heaven he had asked Saint Peter if he could make a detour before entering. With a still strongly human curiosity, he wanted to get a glimpse of hell. This was granted and Sidney thus discovered hell. Hell is a palace full of marble and gold, and sumptuous staircases. The banqueting hall is indescribably luxurious. The damned have been at table for an eternity, each sitting in front of a delicious rice dish. But Satan has given them chopsticks that are more than a metre long – too long for them to be able to serve themselves. They starve to death each day for eternity. Sidney rushes back to heaven. Heaven is also a palace. With the same marble and gold, and the same sumptuous staircases. Even the banqueting hall is equally luxurious. Sidney is stunned by the likeness. He sees the elect sitting in rows in front of a delicious rice dish in exactly the same way. The chopsticks are also too long. But with the long chopsticks each of the elect is giving food to his neighbour.
And this sums up the dynamics of Caritas: sharing and these dynamics are at the service of a goal – building the Kingdom. This sharing is not an idea; it only exists if it is concrete. In other words, if it puts people into a relationship of agape love. Therefore, Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical opens with a quotation from the First Letter of John: “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him”. It also points out that “being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person”. Later on, bringing together the Good Samaritan and the Last Judgement, it illustrates the essential nature of the act of love, the meeting with the poor and the incarnation of God. Christian communities should act in a spirit of integrating the poorest and promoting a culture of charity, justice and solidarity. The interpersonal relationship is at the heart of this challenge. The heaven of our dear Sidney was right there in interpersonal relations. Loving one’s neighbour is a fundamental requirement of the New Testament.
Thus in the Letter of James (1:27), the real religion “ pure and faultless”, the true service of God consists of looking after widows and orphans in their distress in order to “keep oneself from being polluted by the world”, namely above all from behaving selfishly. The widows and children are here, as they are in the Old and New Testaments, representatives not only of those who are suffering, but also of the tormented and oppressed. In this context, coming to their assistance and keeping oneself from any selfishness, especially with regard to the poorest, is the summit of religion. However, this does not mean that the worship of God and divine praise may be replaced by love of one’s neighbour - Ephesians 5:19, “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord” - but rather that charitable conduct towards one’s neighbour is the indispensable preliminary to entering into contact with God, although charity towards one’s neighbour becomes more important than mere observance of cultural precepts. In a yet more explicit formulation, the Golden Rule highlights this fraternal charity as the summit of moral conduct in accordance with God’s wishes: “Do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
The Old and the New Testaments thus show that love of one’s neighbour is witness to a Christian and community life. Since the beginning, divine service, the Eucharistic celebration, the commandment of love, the community gathering and care for the poor have been closely linked in the form of agapes and serving at the table of the poor (the choosing of the seven deacons, Acts 6:1-6). In particular, St Paul’s collection for the community of Jerusalem in distress shows an agape-caritas specifically engaged in real assistance, which proves that such acts in favour of the poor are leitourgia and diakonia, namely divine and fraternal service. It’s by turning towards our neighbours and helping them that we love God, because we love those whom he loves, his children who, born of the same father, are our brothers and sisters (1 John 5:1).
“Love of neighbour is a path that leads to encounter with God”, according to the encyclical Deus Caritas est (no. 16), of which the second part deals with the practice of love by the Church. This second part focuses on the relationship between justice and the ministry of charity. Construction of a just social and civil order is one of the most important human responsibilities. The battle for justice and the organisation of charity are two sides of the same coin. (28 a). The Church has a three-fold responsibility:
- proclaiming the Word of God;
- prayer and celebrating the sacraments; and - exercising the ministry of charity.
These three duties are inseparable. Charity is not an optional activity (no. 25). This practice which Pope Benedict XVI develops in his encyclical is clarified in six different and complementary ways: - On many occasions the text goes back to concrete, organised charity: the coordinating role of bishops, public authority subsidies and tax relief. The support given to the activities and societies of civil society means that “solidarity shown by civil society thus significantly surpasses that shown by individuals” (nos. 30 and 32).
In Goma, parish volunteers went through Rwandan refugee camps looking for the sick and elderly in order to give them food, because they were unable to get to food distribution points: expressions of good will to be organised.
Humanitarian, charitable, social action and medical organisations know how important it is to be structured in order to be effective. This “management” of charity ties in with the appeals for good governance that come from both public lenders and public opinion. Regarding the qualities of employees and volunteers, the encyclical stresses the importance of technical expertise and focuses on “formation of the heart”. Pope Benedict XVI encourages reflection in order to go beyond the stage of personal experiences, events and everyday occurrences.
Seeing with the heart means seeing the big picture and little things, and committing oneself to a new and just world for the good of one’s neighbour. The French philosopher Pascal wrote: “The heat has its reasons of which reason knows nothing”. For Caritas, meeting people is not only about indispensable material aid, but deeply concerns personal engagement, dialogue, an exchange of looks and words.
- Organised charity in society: “The Church must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice” (no. 28). In recent years, on the international advocacy front, the Caritas network has concentrated on the issue of fair trade, including cotton in Africa; in its relations with international financial institutions, on the participation of the poorest, the fight against poverty and its link with debt, to the benefit of sustainable human development; the idea of development adapted to each country via very specific processes; and international taxation and its redistribution.
- The role of Christian communities. The animation of communities regarding charity and justice, in connection with the proclamation and celebration of the Word. Some traditions separate the functions, whilst others have a more comprehensive approach. This includes the whole dynamic of animation of groups and grassroots communities that are so widespread in Africa – parish groups, village groups, credit groups, women’s groups, sharing groups, project groups, etc. - Coordination and complementarity: coordination of social action, medical and humanitarian initiatives. Christian organisations are concerned with collaboration amongst themselves, as well as with public authorities and other civil society organisations that provide services or animate volunteer networks (no. 31). And the role of the State is highlighted: “As Augustine once said, a State which is not governed according to justice would be just a bunch of thieves” (no. 28).
- No proselytism: the warning is clear with regard to those who might confuse charitable action and proclamation of the faith (no. 31). The Caritas network is well placed to see the devastating effects of confusion. In Thailand, along the coasts hit by the tsunami, donors from all around the world entered into a compulsive solidarity that must have outraged some of you, as they were confronted by daily tragedies forgotten by everyone. In addition, the ambiguous activities of fundamentalist Protestant organisations complicates the task at hand. Tribes of “sea gypsies” chased away Caritas agents, making no distinction between their presence and the manoeuvres of these proselytising associations. It then took months for Caritas to be able to create a climate of confidence and embark on reconstruction programmes. In Indonesia the lives of Caritas agents was also threatened by people who took them for proselytes.
- Ecumenical and inter-religious cooperation: Pope Benedict XVI rejoices in and calls for such collaborations (nos. 30 and 31). Emergency and rehabilitation actions in Darfur highlight the spirit called for by the Sudan Bishops’ Conference. In a completely Muslim environment, Caritas/Sudanaid and Sudanese Protestant organisations collaborate with Northern Catholic partners such as Caritas and Protestant networks.
Caritas is often a place for ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue in action, through association of men and women of good will from all faiths and religions, or collaboration with them. The fact that religion and engagement in the service of one’s neighbour today appear inseparable is a particularly meaningful sign of the times, as is the concern that what is human should be perceived as the concrete expression and proof of religious feeling.

In concluding this first part, I would say that the vision of Caritas is, in practical terms, the Kingdom to be built. I strongly insist on “in practical terms” because the Kingdom to be built is not an idea of heaven that is only to be awaited thanks to a moral life, a kind of comfort offered to those whose life is so hard, and which would lead directly to opposition to change. The vision of Caritas is precisely to build the Kingdom, namely to change the world and make it more just and fraternal. This means both at the individual and collective levels for each of our Caritas organisations. The Kingdom to be built is the centre of the evangelical message, and is therefore the vision of the Caritas network. The dynamic of this vision does not have only one dimension in its concrete expression, which is what the second part of Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical is all about:
- It is the concrete implementation of the preferential option for the poor in humanitarian, social and medical action
- It is the short-term relationship of immediate actions which calls for closeness to people and also the long-term relationship that works on the causes
- It is also a spirituality that considers the poor and the excluded as the centre of Christian action (Matthew 25, the Last Judgement).

Caritas activities: actions in the form of process

It would be presumptuous of me to dare to describe to you the actions of the Caritas network, as you know them as well as I do, if not better because you are the ones who actually carry them out. Therefore, I will dwell on three actions that some of you are already engaged in, which it would be useful for the Africa region to be able to develop. The actions I wish to share with you are: analysis of poverty; partnership between Caritas organisations; and advocacy and influence strategy.

First of all, the action of analysis which enables reporting and witness. In Sollicitudo rei socialis (no. 43), Pope John Paul II wrote that “the motivating concern for the poor […] must be translated at all levels into concrete actions, until it decisively attains a series of necessary reforms”. And yet the Caritas network may contribute to these reforms on condition that it submits precise and verifiable accounts of poverty to representatives of governments and the international community. A method for achieving this diagnosis above all entails a process of animation, as it must bring into play the maximum number of Caritas agents.

The process includes these key stages: • Definition of the project: which area of poverty are we to determine and for which reform objective? • Drawing up of the analysis document which covers needs as they present themselves, the malfunctions of which the poorest are victims, and also the shortcomings in protections systems. • This is followed by undoubtedly the longest and most difficult phase of filling in questionnaires. This type of survey can only be well conducted via animation of groups. • Finally, the last stage consists of exploiting feedback with a view to creating an advocacy dossier to be submitted to political, economic, media or ecclesial institutions. Such interlocutors need to go beyond an individual situation and be familiar with the broader picture.
This process of animalysis – a word I have invented to stress the close link between animation and analysis, the two pillars which hold up the other actions that I will describe in detail later on – consists of analysing the causes of poverty to stir up and alert leaders and public opinion with a view to acting on institutions. I can assure you from my experience of regular close contact with various institutional representatives that very often, in their eyes, these meticulous assessments and analyses are our primary legitimacy. Contact with poverty should lead to action regarding these institutions as the role of charity is to precede justice, and, by drawing attention to situations, to prepare legislators to resolve – insofar as governments are able to – the problems of the community. I am thinking, for example, about Caritas Congo, Republic of the Congo-Brazzaville, which today is at the heart of this type of approach with the current survey of poverty it is carrying out together with other Church departments (Justice and Peace, Health, Education). In this example, Caritas Congo is a catalyst of energy, a servant of the servants of those who are also active on behalf of the poorest. Surveying poverty enables better understanding of the realities of poverty, the living conditions of the poorest and awareness of the causes of poverty. This analysis also leads to getting across the Church’s specific voice to the entire political poverty reduction process, to the drawing up of an action strategy, and to any necessary revision of the Church’s action, thereby enabling an advocacy policy and an influence strategy.
This work carried out by Caritas Congo in 2006 was preceded by a similar survey in 2004 on Pool, the area around Brazzaville, which accounts for 10% of the country’s population and is bogged down in dire poverty. The government has allocated no funds for Pool. National highway 1, which links Pool’s main town, Kinkala, and Brazzaville has been impassable for years: at best it takes six hours to make the 80-km journey, meaning that it is no longer possible to transport agricultural produce to the capital. Several villages have been wiped off the map. According to the survey, 46% of housing has been partially or totally destroyed. 92% of the population have no readily available access to potable water. The civil service barely functions, and its employees mainly live in Brazzaville. Education and healthcare facilities are in an appalling state, with one third of healthcare centres closed or destroyed. The former rebels have close contact with the armed forces, which creates a climate of permanent insecurity. The police and the legal system have disappeared. Disarming the militias has been very patchy and is obviously no longer on the agenda. Despite the closure a few months ago of camps in Brazzaville where people had sought refuge, few displaced persons have gone home. Peace has yet to be built. Reacting to the situation in Pool is now a real national issue. It will be a test of the Congolese government’s good faith and its political will to rebuild a nation that has been torn apart by violence and wars. Leaving Pool to slowly fester will only result in the growth of an abscess that sooner or later will burst and lead to a fresh outbreak of civil war. This is why the bishops of Congo went to the president of the Republic of the Congo to submit their report on this situation. They called for a revival of the peace process, opening up of the region, restoration of administration and public services and allocation of funds. For its part, Caritas Congo has decided to embark on four priority courses of action to facilitate the return of displaced people and revival of the rural economy: rehabilitation of houses; organisation of agricultural fairs; repair of roads; and provision of working materials to small-scale craftsmen.
There is a difference in scope between the 2004 and 2006 surveys, which implies a different methodology: 857 forms for the former, compared with 100,000 for the latter. I can assure you that many Northern Caritas also oblige themselves to carry out this kind of analysis.
Another example is the work that has been carried out for several years by the Church of Zambia. This involves a month by month survey of housewives’ shopping baskets in order to demonstrate to political and economic authorities how the living conditions of the poorest are evolving.

The second action I would like to comment on is partnership, as a process, as ongoing construction, and as the very foundation of relations between Caritas network members. Obviously, each Caritas comprises an autonomous national organisation, but it also shares the same sense of service and the self-promotion of the poorest with all the others. Therefore, the international Caritas network has ethics and common values together with the vision that was broadly developed in the first part of my talk, as well as a shared concept of development. All this adds up to the expression of the Church’s pastoral ministry and social teaching. First of all a Caritas organisation acts within its geographical area by endeavouring to mobilise the human, moral and material resources of communities. As each Caritas shares the same ideals and types of commitment, it is therefore natural that sharing of experiences and mutual help should be at the heart of the relationship that constitutes the life of the network. One day Father Tsegayé Keneni, Secretary General of the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat (ECS) said: “We need each other; it’s human nature. No one should be alone.”
The word partnership derives from the Latin root par, paris, which means equality. Even in terms of its etymology, partnership means that any relationship of alliance, union or association should be based on an equal footing, starting from the principle that “everyone has as much to give as to receive”. This means that some know whilst others know not, some have whilst others have not, and some give whilst others receive. The Caritas network’s partnership process thereby gives priority to the institutional strengthening and accompaniment of Caritas organisations, so that they may all be increasingly placed on the same equal footing. Institutional support provided by other Caritas should enable those who benefit to be able to develop and strengthen their internal network, at national as well as regional and local levels. The work of a Caritas – ranging from poverty analysis to evaluation and capitalisation of actions – should also benefit others in accordance with the principles of shared responsibility and reciprocity. During a seminar on partnership and inter-regional cooperation organised by Caritas Europa in Brussels in June 2006 you were represented Caritas Niger. Its delegate, Raymond Yoro, insisted on the continuity of dialogue and trust but lamented the lack of funding for local staff, regarding for example salaries and training.
We need to look at things head on. Obviously partnership should not be limited to a mere transfer of money, but I’m not naive and there are some questions that need to be asked. How can we go beyond financial domination and dependence? What is the best way to act if two organisations that wish to be partners are to be genuinely on an equal footing? Through mutual respect and acceptance of differences. The partnership relationship implies mutual listening, understanding and dialogue because partnership is an exchange of knowledge, practices and techniques, starting from a common overall project of commitment: the support and self-promotion of the poorest people. Starting above all with the actions undertaken by the poorest, our responsibility is to bear witness to their capacities and creativity. The support given is thus a mutual commitment in the fight against poverty and wide-ranging exclusion, a commitment that is experienced and conducted at each Caritas, but also with all the other organisations that strive to carry out the same fight. This gives rise to the need for animation and education regarding solidarity.
For all members of the Caritas network, the partnership procedure also implies encouraging and developing the process of independence, autonomy and giving a sense of responsibility to all its partners, from the national Caritas to grassroots communities and groups. Structural and institutional support is thus given so that each Caritas has the wherewithal to operate and successfully fulfil its mission; support for training and building the capacities and skills of leaders and managers also plays a vital role. Partnership as conceived and strived for on an everyday basis by the Caritas network is therefore a dynamic process that is based on dialogue and principles of reciprocity and shared responsibility in relations as a whole, including support given to projects. For the Caritas network, concrete partnership actions, especially around and starting from projects, are marked by the idea that, despite prevailing discussions on the globalisation of the economy and out-and-out liberalism, it is possible to bring about a transformation of society, notably towards forms of organisation that are more closely based on solidarity, the community and cooperative management. In this overall context that is increasingly marked by globalisation and change, reflection continues on adapting and developing certain practices, without losing sight of the fundamental options of grassroots communities and groups. Herein lies the importance of promoting the different experiences that everyone has, thereby enabling mutual enrichment. Belonging to the Caritas network is a source of enrichment, but also a guarantee of reliability in developing and carrying out projects. Indeed, each Caritas has a branched network at its disposal – with over 3,000,000 responsible volunteers in action worldwide – which enables concrete and lasting monitoring of different actions.
During the seminar on partnership and inter-regional cooperation, the delegate from Bangladesh, Benedict Alo D' Rozario, described three levels: pity in the donor-beneficiary relationship; sympathy and respect in the educational relationship; and empathy and dignity when partners attain real sharing. The delegate from Honduras, Father German Calix, saw partnership from different perspectives: it is prophetic because the person who reaps is not the person who sows; it is Christ-like and therefore incarnate; it is pastoral and thus organised (partnership should be organised by methods, written agreements, regular meetings, etc.); and it is ethical, historical and political because it comes within a context and a culture.
Finally, I would like to emphasise that partnership has an evangelical foundation and that our partnership principles are rooted in the social teaching of the Church. Many organisations and associations are engaged in development. What distinguishes us is our Christian faith which gives us a particular vision of mankind and the world and motivates us to build a new world. Partnership leads to a calling into question, and getting out of routine habits to innovate in the service of the poorest. It is the expression of the social teaching of the Church and the mission of diakonia entrusted to Caritas organisations worldwide.
This reflection on partnership is not addressed only to you in Africa. It concerns all the members of the Confederation, but you, the members of African Caritas, have a specific and original contribution to make. Partnership is never acquired; it means building every day.

The third action that I wish to deal with is advocacy and influence strategy. Strictly speaking, advocacy is the defence of a cause that one is seeking to promote. Influence strategy consists of modifying the causes of a problem. Whilst advocacy, as its name implies, advocates – or speaks – on behalf of and with the poor to defend them, influence strategy, also as its name implies, influences decision makers by suggesting actions or initiatives that bring about concrete changes for the poorest. It is a way of thinking before acting that implies constantly asking the question why until the root causes of a problem have been determined. Based on this information an attempt is made to solve the problem. It is a way of thinking, but also of working, since advocacy consists of reflecting on how to work as a team to change structures, policies, procedures and practices. It often improves the political or economic environment in which people live and, as a result, project activities are more effective. As an illustration, I would like to give the example of Caritas Kenya, which set up citizen training. This entailed teaching people about election issues by getting them to reflect on the meaning of their vote. I note Kenya’s role as a forerunner when I see certain Northern Caritas taking up the theme of training ahead of particularly important national elections. This is also the case in the Philippines where the Church and Caritas have engaged in campaigns to fight corruption by monitoring public expenditure, ranging from the village to the government level.

Advocacy is an integral part of development activities, and is therefore not separate from them. If we undertake development activities in response to the root causes of poverty and bring about change in a given situation, we should envisage using all legal means to get to these root causes. Project activities and programmes may achieve this at a more local level, but it may be noted that often they are primarily aimed at symptoms. This is already moving in the right direction, but in an increasingly complex world we need to go further; our charitable legitimacy in the eyes of the secular world depends on our combining a dynamic of proximity and expertise. Advocacy is necessary when the root causes of a problem do not lie at the local level or when they stem from authorities and their practices. Development activities that seek to participate in resolving the root causes of poverty by changing policies create a more favourable social and political environment for the excluded.
If we look at development in this way, namely as a process or a series of activities undertaken together, in a consistent fashion, and pursuing the same objective, we realise that the advocacy and influence strategy procedure provides powerful tools that operate within and on the development process. Southern African Caritas have already opened up this path, as have other Caritas such as Cameroon, which has undertaken a joint initiative with civil society to monitor expenditure and also good governance, going so far as to tackle such highly sensitive issues as the fight against corruption.
The integration of advocacy and influence strategy within the development process thus takes us back to the foundations of our Caritas mission: the diakonia of the poorest.
Since the 2003 General Assembly, advocacy and influence strategy have been among our network’s highest priorities. Africa has taken this issue on board by organising two large awareness-raising meetings, one in Lusaka in October 2004 and the other in Kinshasa in December 2004.

Our Confederation’s action at the United Nations undertaken by Msgr Andia Odama from northern Uganda, regarding the conflict that is underway there, demonstrates our creativity and effectiveness. The Security Council dealt with the issue, especially after the archbishop’s visits to New York, Washington, London, Brussels, Geneva and Rome.

This is a promising start, but efforts should continue – as some of you are already doing – at national as well as diocesan level. Poverty cannot be fought without having a specific policy. Mere distribution of aid is not enough; we must fight to get to the root causes of poverty. Investing in advocacy and influence enables us to develop a coherent vision of our actions as a whole.

The future: social and political spirituality

I hope that you are up to tackling the last part of this talk which aims to look ahead, giving priority to certain points on which I would like to dwell at your African Caritas meeting. “Love of neighbour is a path that leads to the encounter with God” (no.16). “The solidarity shown by civil society thus significantly surpasses that shown by individuals” (no. 30). These two quotations from Deus Caritas est introduce charity and social action in a relational and “organised” (no. 24) dimension. Indeed, it is this point regarding organisation that I wish to mention once again in the light of the encyclical Deus caritas est.
The encyclical recalls the central place of social commitment in the life of Christians and the Church’s mission: the central place of “social charity” (no. 29) aimed at developing “the whole person” (Populorum progressio, 1967). Christian communities should act in a spirit of integrating the poorest and promoting a culture of charity, justice and solidarity. The interpersonal relationship is at the heart of this challenge.
However, the necessary organisation of charity goes hand in hand with this personal and community commitment. At local, national and international levels, and in a spirit of creativity and effectiveness, Christians, often in association with others, commit themselves to justice – “The Church cannot remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice” (no. 28) – and actions of institutional charity.
Like his predecessors, our current Pope is not afraid of political words. And it is on this second point that I suggest we dwell. Indeed, since the Vatican Council the Church has continuously given its opinion on political commitment. It calls on Christians to take an active part in politics, according to their possibilities and above and beyond any prejudices. “All Christians must be aware of their own specific vocation within the political community” (Gaudium et Spes no. 75). This document dates back to 1965. A few years later in 1971, Pope Paul VI dealt with this matter in a letter to Cardinal Roy. In particular, he wrote: “Politics are a demanding manner – but not the only one – of living the Christian commitment to the service of others. Clearly, no structural reform will excuse citizens from taking on their responsibilities and converting to a life based on justice and charity”.
I believe that this political dimension is perfectly illustrated by the example of the Democratic Republic of Congo. A brief reminder of the facts: since independence in 1960 and after thirty years of an authoritarian regime, this country has been marked by economic collapse, impoverishment of the population and deterioration of infrastructure. The serious worsening of the situation in the early 1990s was followed by territorial threats as neighbours had their hearts set on grabbing certain areas. Since 1998 four million people have died as a result of wars and their humanitarian repercussions.
A democratic and electoral process has begun with the support of and under pressure from the United Nations and the Security Council with African countries and the European Union.
A United Nations mission was created in 1999, which is now responsible for the logistics of the electoral process. Criticisms have been made regarding its management of funds and serious shortcomings in protecting people.
The vast majority of electors had never voted before the constitutional referendum held on 18 December 2005. Therefore, it was necessary to set up registration offices and for citizens to enrol on electoral lists. This took seven months amid enormous practical difficulties. 25 out of an estimated 30 million electors were registered. Despite a high level of abstention in certain areas, voting took place and the constitution was approved.
Preparation of presidential, legislative and local elections has begun. They are scheduled for the end of July 2006. However, several controversies are looming: acceptance of the future results, governance and corruption, reunification of the armed forces and security in the east of the country. The DRC has benefited from substantial external support in recent years, including for re-establishment of peace and progress towards democracy.
The World Bank is continuing its efforts. Heavily engaged in demilitarisation, the aid it provides - for its scale - is still relatively modest, whilst it awaits conclusion of the electoral process to fully gear up its efforts.
For its part, the Caritas network supports the activities of the Church of Congo. Caritas provides assistance for emergencies, food security, healthcare, AIDS, young people, demobilisation of child soldiers and education such as the advocacy campaign against rape as a weapon of war. Other organisations, such as Justice and Peace, also give support. Indeed, the Church is strongly engaged in social fields, but also in the political process with the support of several foreign partners from Caritas or CIDSE.
In close connection with other civil society organisations and other Churches and religious faiths, the Catholic Church participated in the Inter-Congolese Dialogue and is deeply engaged in the transition process. A priest is chairman of the Electoral Commission. The Bishops’ Conference has regularly expressed its opinion in support of the electoral process and reminded everyone of their duties to build a legally constituted state and lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the region. Its declaration of 5 February 2005, “The Congo belongs to us”, begins by analysing the situation and concludes that “…the country is in danger. Henceforth, any attitude of irresponsibility and resignation is intolerable !”.
The Bishops’ Conference and Justice and Peace have animated many training courses on democracy, accompanied the process of enrolment on electoral lists and raised awareness of the constitution everywhere, even in the most far-flung parishes. Communities involved in, for example, farming and healthcare projects have also been concerned. Since the beginning of 2006 a new programme has been underway to prepare the elections and train election observers.
The Church’s action is unanimously recognised as being effective and respectful of democracy since, as it says in its own training material, “The Church is marching with the people and has no candidates for the elections”.

The last point that I wish to deal with, which should surprise no one, is the theme of peace. Caritas Internationalis has been conducting a peace and reconciliation process for several years.
We published a first reconciliation handbook in 1999. In the training document that followed in 2002 the chapter on peace-builders includes a section entitled “Inventing choices for the benefit of everyone”, and the text develops the necessary creativity and commitment for devising acceptable options for the parties in a conflict.
The first Caritas Internationalis Peace Forum was held in Sri Lanka at the end of June, preceded by visits in the field to projects of the Caritas peace and reconciliation programme. This forum prepared strategic paths for the 2007 General Assembly, which will be improved by the Confederation’s Peace and Reconciliation Working Group and the assembly’s preparatory committee. I would like to highlight just a few elements to whet your appetites: peace-building in programmes, management training, conflict analysis and collaboration with other religious faiths; task-sharing and the role of the regions regarding advocacy; and concerning network collaboration, inter-religious dialogue in the face of fundamentalism, which is not only Muslim. I recently met Cardinal Kaspers, who is responsible for ecumenism at the Vatican. He is concerned about, for example, the rise of sects inspired by Christianity and the Asian Churches are confronting hard-line Hindu and Buddhist factions.
Peace-building is a collective task to bring about social harmony in emergency, development and advocacy programmes. The spirit of reconciliation was well expressed by Pope Benedict XVI during his recent visit last May to two concentration camps in Poland: “I have come here today to implore the grace of reconciliation - first of all from God, who alone can open and purify our hearts, from the men and women who suffered here, and finally the grace of reconciliation for all those who, at this hour of our history, are suffering in new ways from the power of hatred and the violence which hatred spawns.” On the publication of Populorum progressio, Pope Paul VI wrote in his Message for Lent in 1967: “After the recent Vatican Council it is necessary to return to (…) teaching on issues that trouble, plague and divide men and women in their search for daily bread, peace, freedom, justice and fraternity. (…) an encyclical on the progress of peoples, and their development and obligations, is the outcome of a programme that nothing can further postpone, regarding economic balance, moral dignity and universal collaboration between all nations.” Peace, daily bread, freedom, justice and fraternity: we are back with the relationship of causes and effects. We are both actors and spectators of it. Our Pan-African Conference should contribute to greater balance, fraternity, justice, solidarity and charity, as this will help to provided renewed and effective action tools to the men and women who offer a willing hand in building partnership relations at the global level. Whatever our religion or spirituality, we all come from the same family that was born long ago on the borders of Ethiopia and Chad, not far from the current bloodshed in Darfur! We are constantly involved in family quarrels that are so often tragic! Our joint Caritas advocacy actions in Sri Lanka, Colombia, Palestine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Sudan, as well as those regarding migration, are not the only ones that require our efforts. Our members are engaged in many conflict areas, in all of them in fact. And even where there is no local Caritas, as in Afghanistan, some of us are taking action.

To conclude this talk, I would like to remind you of the exhortation of Pope John Paul II, “Ecclesia in Africa” of 1995: “the Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelisation: it is he who impels each individual to proclaim the Gospel, and it is he who in the depths of consciences causes the word of salvation to be accepted and understood. After reaffirming this truth, the Special Assembly rightly went on to add that evangelisation is also a mission which the Lord Jesus entrusted to his Church under the guidance and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our cooperation is necessary through fervent prayer, serious reflection, suitable planning and the mobilization of resources” (no. 21). Cooperation, prayer, reflection and projects – the four legs that bear the table of sharing.
Remember the story at the beginning – about hell and heaven, and the table of delicious food, and the chopsticks that were too long for each person to eat with. In its body and soul Africa knows that sharing is an absolute necessity: in the village, the family, the neighbourhood, the country. Your neighbourly attitude is abounding, accompanied by an exuberance that many people envy. You should spread this wealth throughout the Confederation, in the liturgy, our meetings and in the building of international cooperation. Don’t wait until you feel ready; the others have already decided you are fit for service. It was only those sitting at the banquet where they could eat thanks to their neighbours who were in heaven!
There is delicious rice for everyone at our world’s table, but not for those who have neither the opportunity nor the energy to sit at the table.
Our duty is to increase wealth and help everyone gain access to rice.
For Caritas, joining in the creation and sharing is the royal road towards building the Kingdom of God.

DV.