US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA874

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 000874 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/24/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, PHUM, PREL, CG 
SUBJECT: ARCHBISHOP MONSENGWO WRITES TO MBEKI ABOUT 
CONCERNS WITH TRANSITION 
 
Classified By: Poloff Gons Nachman for Reasons 1.4 B and D 
 
1. (C) Summary. Archbishop Monsengwo, President of the 
Catholic Bishops' Conference, wrote a letter to South African 
President Thabo Mbeki using ambiguous language to question 
the commitment of transition actors to organize elections. 
The letter was later discussed in a private conversation with 
an assistant to Cardinal Etsou, who said the Church supports 
the transition and elections within the framework of the 
Transitional Constitution. Monsengwo's letter, however, 
remains subject to manipulation by transition critics like 
the UDPS who are calling for an end to the transition on June 
30th.  End Summary. 
 
Monsengwo: "Elections Without Procrastination" 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
2.  (U) Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kisangani and 
President of the DRC's Catholic Bishops' Conference, sent a 
letter to South African President Thabo Mbeki during his May 
16 visit to Kinshasa May 15 in which he raised concerns about 
the transition and the electoral process in the DRC. The 
letter was subsequently published on the front page of 
Kinshasa's daily newspaper "La Reference Plus" May 21. 
Monsengwo's letter refers to recent developments affecting 
the organization of elections such as political crises that 
are "artificially maintained" and questions the relevance of 
solutions to solve these crises. He also questions the 
willingness of political actors to act for the common good 
and states that the electoral calendar has seen delays that 
have not been explained to the people, which have led to 
"chaotic interpretations and anarchic declarations." 
Monsengwo concludes his letter by providing various 
recommendations on behalf of the Bishops' Conference, 
including a call to transitional institutions to "take into 
account the Congolese people's determination to proceed 
towards fair, free, and democratic elections without 
procrastination." 
 
Cardinal's Assistant: "Church Supports the Transition" 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
3. (C) Monsengwo's comments were "clarified" by Bishop Daniel 
Landu, Assistant to Cardinal Frederic Etsou, Archbishop of 
Kinshasa, during a May 23 meeting with Poloff. Bishop Landu 
said the Catholic Church's official position on elections and 
the transition is clear: "There is no alternative to the 
transition...we fully support it and recognize that the 
Transitional Constitution provides for two possible six-month 
extensions beyond June 30th." Landu also criticized 
politicians who try to mislead, manipulate, and encourage 
anxiety about June 30th, "we want people to stay home that 
day, engage in quiet reflection, and avoid problems." 
 
Letter Meant to Encourage "Communication" 
----------------------------------------- 
 
4. (C) According to Landu, Monsengwo's letter was meant to 
encourage greater communication about the transition and the 
electoral process between government institutions and the 
people. It was also intended to call attention to a 
troublesome security situation. Landu noted that Monsengwo is 
part of the Church and, as such, he supports the transition 
and the organization of elections as stipulated by the 
Transitional Constitution. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
5. (C) Monsengwo's statement is sufficiently ambiguous to be 
used by opposition parties like the Union for Democracy and 
Social Progress (UDPS) as part of their calls for an end to 
the transition on June 30th. Despite private "clarification" 
by an assistant to the Cardinal that emphasized continued 
Church support for the transition and the electoral process, 
Monsengwo's letter remains the most recent public position on 
the transition by a Catholic Church leader and one who 
purports to speak on behalf of the Bishop's Conference. While 
Monsengwo's views may reflect those of some bishops in the 
Conference, it is by no means clear that his letter 
accurately reflects the position of the majority of the 
Conference's members. 
MEECE