A fresh wave of tension has emerged this week between the Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the government. This follows a resolute declaration from the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO), firmly opposing a proposed constitutional amendment that could enable President Félix Tshisekedi to seek a third term in 2028.
CENCO calls upon Félix Tshisekedi to uphold the oath he swore “before God and the Nation.” The conference also reserves the right to announce a schedule of on-the-ground actions. It implores the populace to resist and thwart this endeavor, which, in its view, “risks balkanizing the country and leading it to civil war.”
civil war risk looms
The Congolese Constitution explicitly limits presidential mandates to two terms. President Tshisekedi assumed office in January 2019 and was re-elected in 2023 for what was understood to be his second and final term. However, in early May, during a press conference, he indicated a potential consideration for a third term, suggesting the possibility of a referendum to alter the Constitution on this matter. His political allies have since been actively pursuing this objective.
catholic church’s consistent opposition to constitutional change
The Catholic Church, which previously stood against former President Joseph Kabila’s attempts to amend the Constitution to secure a third mandate, has once again voiced its strong disapproval. Concerned by the prospect of constitutional revision, CENCO convened an “Extraordinary Plenary Assembly” in Kinshasa from June 18 to 20, 2026.
In their 17-point final statement, released on CENCO’s website, the 37 members of the Episcopal Conference—comprising cardinals, bishops, and priests—asserted that “the Nation was in peril!” The country remains embroiled in conflict, despite numerous peace agreements. For the past four years, North and South Kivu have been under the control of the Alliance du Fleuve Congo / Mouvement du 23 mars (AFC/M23) rebels, who are steadily consolidating their administration over occupied territories.
bloody conflict in the east and ebola threat
In Ituri and parts of North Kivu, other armed factions, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), are perpetrating “massacres of thousands” of Congolese citizens. Adding to these already grave circumstances, the hemorrhagic fever disease Ebola has resurfaced in the East, posing a risk of broader contagion.
“Meanwhile, we observe with profound concern a growing tension stemming from the ruling majority’s campaign in favor of amending the Constitution of February 18, 2006,” the Congolese clergy lamented. “Regrettably,” they continued, “this campaign, which mobilizes state resources, unfolds in a climate of terror against dissenting voices even within the Majority, who are compelled to silence themselves out of fear of reprisals. As for opposition demonstrations, they are violently suppressed by the police, often in collaboration with a political party’s militia known as ‘Force du progrès’.”
For the Congolese bishops, there is “neither the necessity, nor the urgency, nor the opportunity” for constitutional change. The nation’s true priorities, they emphasized, are “peace, the social well-being of the people, unity, and national cohesion.”
bishops face subversion accusations
In response to this episcopal declaration, the Union Sacrée pour la Nation (USN) platform, a coalition of 400 political parties and movements supporting President Tshisekedi, expressed its “indignation.” The USN “vehemently condemned” the CENCO bishops’ statement, deeming it “nothing less than an act of subversion directed against legitimate and democratically established institutions.”
In a communiqué published on their website, the Head of State’s supporters declared, “it is regrettable to note that (these) bishops employ, in their diatribe, several remarks manifestly inciting popular uprising and the overthrow of constitutional order.”
