Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – “You do not build a nation with a Kalashnikov,” said Bishop Sosthène Ayikuli Udjuwa of Mahagi-Nioka in Ituri in his address to young people, urging them not to join one of the many armed groups active in this province in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.Bishop Ayikuli addressed the young Catholics who gathered in Mahagi from July 31 to August 3 for the youth meeting of the Catholic dioceses of Mahagi-Nioka and Bunia. Due to the restrictions, only the young people from Mahagi-Nioka were able to attend. The reason for this was the ongoing insecurity in the province, particularly on the road from Bunia to Mahagi, along which the village of Komanda is located, where a massacre took place in the parish church of Blessed Anuarite on the night of Saturday, July 26, to Sunday, July 27 (see Fides, 23/7/2025).However, the tense situation did not dampen the enthusiasm of the diocese’s young Catholics, who participated in large numbers in the Diocesan Youth Days (JDJ).On Friday, August 1, the square in front of the cathedral in Mahagi was transformed into a place of spiritual and social dialogue, where the message of peace was at the center of the prayers.Msgr. Ayikuli urged young people to reject the siren calls of armed groups, which often prey on abandoned youth. “You don’t build a nation with a Kalashnikov,” he emphasized in this regard.Addressing the political and administrative authorities, the Bishop of Mahagi-Nioka emphasized that “Ituri’s future cannot be left to empty words. Concrete measures for the benefit of young people are needed: education, employment, and security.”The Youth Days were intended not only as a time of prayer, but also as a space for reflection on the socio-political situation in the Ituri region. Through working groups and the exchange of experiences, teachings, and testimonies, participants were encouraged to become aware of their role in society.The Catholic Church seeks to offer an alternative to the recruitment of young people into armed groups, relying on its network of rural and urban parishes to spread its message of peace and hope to the most remote areas. Priests and nuns also spoke out, denouncing the trivialization of violence and the psychological distress of many young people in Ituri and emphasizing the importance of pastoral and psychosocial support in conflict zones.For Bishop Ayikuli, the message of these days goes beyond the religious sphere: it is about “awakening a collective consciousness” among both young people and decision-makers. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 5/8/2025)
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