From Congo to the Vatican: Cardinal Ambongo’s papal shot
Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, the Congolese prelate among those from the continent who Africans hope will lead the papacy after the death of Pope Francis, is a divisive figure in his home country of some 50 million Catholics.
His speeches and sermons, especially on the security and political crisis in the country, have often been seen as activist and against the administration of President Félix Tshisekedi.
On several occasions, in his homilies, Cardinal Ambongo has made statements that have been deemed controversial, notably on the security, political, economic and social crisis in the DRC.
He has been accused of issuing “a stream of seditious remarks made during press briefings, interviews, and other sermons.”In one of them he said: “We note that our country is today in a comatose state, we note that those who come from outside can afford to play with the Congolese nation because the main cause of our misfortune, the main cause of the lack of peace in our country is not people from outside, is not foreigners, it is not the evil Rwanda; it is first and foremost us Congolese. Our irresponsibility has led us to take actions that are not conducive to peace in our country.”In his Christmas message last year, the Archbishop of Kinshasa accused the authorities of failing to bring about peace and to end the misery of the population.
Earlier, in April 2024, he had expressed views that were seen as sympathetic to those rebelling against the government, and the Court of Cassation instructed the prosecutor at the Matete Court of Appeal to open a judicial inquiry against him.
In a letter, the Attorney-General wrote: “I hereby order you to open a judicial file against the above-mentioned prelate, who deliberately violates consciences and seems to find pleasure in spreading false rumours and other incitements for the population to revolt against established institutions and in plots against human lives.”Frosty relations“In view of the evidence of this behaviour, which can be analysed as an offence against the country, its people and its leaders, and which undermines the laws of the Republic, I order you to open a judicial investigation against the above-mentioned prelate,” the apex court said.
The country’s bishops protested.
As a result, his relations with the current government have been frosty and marked by mistrust. In 2023, he alluded to fraud in the December elections that saw Tshisekedi elected for a second term.
Today, his prospects of becoming head of the Holy See do not inspire the same enthusiasm among the ruling elite as they do among ordinary folk.
Henriette Wamu, a former member of Parliament, nevertheless hopes he has a fighting chance.“My knees are on the ground, imploring this merciful and just God whom you serve with devotion,” she said. “You are facing a turning point in your priesthood, the outcome of which depends on him alone, the God of the oppressed. He raised Francis, he can also make you Pope.”Former minister José Makila also expressed his support for Cardinal Ambongo: “He has no obsession or personal ambition for the throne of Peter. If he were to be called, it would only be by the sovereign will of God, which no one can oppose. It would be neither a conquest of power nor an inordinate ambition, but the fulfilment of a divine plan for his servant”.
On the streets of Kinshasa, people can’t stop talking about the possibility of Cardinal Ambongo becoming Pope when 135 cardinals from all over the world begin voting for the new pontiff starting May 7.
Read: Explainer: What happens when a pope dies?The Congolese see the race to succeed Pope Francis, who died on April 21, as an opportunity for their man.
Although they acknowledge that his chances are slim, many recognise the 65-year-old’s outspokenness, which has made him a key figure in the Catholic Church in Africa. Along with Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah and Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson, he is “the voice of Africa”.
Read: Africans root for first Black pope in modern historyAt the forthcoming conclave, Africa will have 17 cardinals to elect Pope Francis’ successor. Although the question is not based on geographical, racial or ethnic considerations, the African cardinals will be joined by 50 others from Europe, 24 from Asia, 22 from Central America, 16 from North America and four from Oceania.
Ambongo, a member of the C9, the council of cardinals appointed by Pope Francis to serve as his advisers in September 2013, is also president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar.
On December 18, 2023, when the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published a statement entitled Fiducia Supplicans approved by Pope Francis, authorising “non-liturgical” blessings of same-sex couples, the Congolese prelate protested, saying: “The blessing of homosexual couples proposed by Fiducia Supplicans cannot be implemented in Africa without exposing oneself to scandal, but each bishop will be free to choose how to act in his diocese.”Cardinal Ambongo emphasised that African culture is “deeply rooted in the values of natural law concerning marriage and the family, which makes it difficult to accept same-sex unions, which are considered contradictory to cultural norms and intrinsically evil.”Would this stance work against him? Does he even stand a chance? Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
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