Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya
Versailles, France | |
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Nationality | Congolese |
Previous post(s) |
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Motto | In fide veritatis (English: In faith truth) |
Coat of arms |
Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya (7 October 1939 – 11 July 2021) was a Congolese prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the Archbishop of Kinshasa from 2007 to 2018. He became a cardinal in 2010. He was widely recognized as a champion of peace, dialogue, and human rights.
Early years
Monsengwo Pasinya was born in Mongobele, Diocese of Inongo. He belonged to one of the royal families of Basakata; his second name, Monsengwo, means "nephew of the traditional chief".
He did his initial ecclesiastical studies at the Seminary of Bokoro and furthered them at the Major Seminary of Kabwe where he studied philosophy. He was sent to Rome to attend the
Episcopate
Pope Benedict XVI transferred him to the metropolitan see of Kinshasa on 6 December 2007
He served two terms as head of the Congolese Bishops Conference and was president of the episcopal conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) from 1997 to 2003.[2]
He participated in the Synod of Bishops on several occasions. John Paul named him a member of the 2001 Synod.[3] Pope Benedict XVI named him special secretary for the Synod of Bishops held in October 2008,[4] and delegate-president for that of 2012.[5] Pope Francis named him a papal delegate to the Synod of 2015 on the family in the Church and the modern world.[6]
In October 2009, addressing the Synod of Bishops' special assembly for Africa, he said:[7]
Peace goes hand in hand with justice, justice with right, right with truth. Without justice, social peace is badly placed. Thus, the promotion of the State of Law is necessary, at any price, where the primacy of the law reigns, notably constitutional law; the States of Law where the arbitrary and subjectivity do not create the law of the jungle; States of Law where national sovereignty is recognized and respected; States of Law where to each one, its due is equitably rendered. Without truth, it is difficult to ensure justice and to speak of rights. The consequence of this is that right and not right have equal freedom of the city; which makes it impossible to have an harmonious order of things or “tranquillitas ordinis”. “In truth there is peace” (Benedict XVI). This is why in seeking peaceful solutions, all notable diplomatic and political approaches aim at reestablishing truth, justice and peace. Christ is our peace, He made peace, He proclaimed peace, so that all Jews and pagans could be made one people. Not by leaving each other with their privileges and their rights, but in abolishing exclusion, in pulling down the wall of cultural and social separation, in destroying the hatred which He crucified upon the cross with his body. Jews and Gentiles are no longer foreigners, or strangers, but close friends, fellow-citizens of the saints, and each one has the same heritage (Eph 3:6) having belonged in the past to the one Israel. In this way, He created a new man, to reconcile them both to God and to give them access to the Father through the Spirit. It is in doing away with all these barriers, exclusion, discriminatory laws in faith and society, and especially in killing hatred that one reconciles men and peace is made.
Pope John Paul named him a member of the
In December 2011 Monsengwo Pasinya contradicted Kabila when he assessed the
He was chosen to preach the Lenten spiritual exercises to Pope Benedict and the Roman Curia in 2012.[16][17]
In 2013, Monsengwo Pasinya was mentioned as a possible successor to Pope Benedict XVI.
Later life
In January 2018, even as he approached retirement, he continued to protest violence on Kabila's part against protesters calling on him to abide by the constitutional restrictions in his term of office.[20]
Pope Francis accepted his resignation as Archbishop of Kinshasa on 1 November 2018.[21] On 12 December 2018, the Vatican announced that Monsengwo Pasinya would be leaving the Council of Cardinals as part of his retirement as well.[22][23]
He died on 11 July 2021 in Versailles, France; he had arrived there recently for medical care.[24][25]
See also
- Christophe Mboso N'Kodia Pwanga
- Jeannine Mabunda
- Gabriel Kyungu wa Kumwanza
References
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 06.12.2007" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 6 December 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ Tom, Heneghan (12 July 2012). "Influential Cardinal Monsengwo of Kinshasa dies in Paris at 81". The Tablet. Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 24.08.2001" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 24 August 2001. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 23.08.2008" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 23 August 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 30.06.2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "XIV Assemblea Generale Ordinaria del Sinodo dei Vescovi (4-25 ottobre 2015) - Elenco dei Partecipanti, 15.09.2015" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Interventions From Synod's 12th Congregation". Zenit. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 22.04.2002" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 22 April 2002. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Unbendable". The Economist. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 11.12.2010" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 11 December 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 29.12.2010" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 29 December 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 10.12.2011" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 29.12.2011" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 29 December 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 05.03.2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ Nossiter, Adam (12 December 2011). "Congo President Kabila Denies Reports of Election Fraud". New York Times. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Cardinal Monsengwo to Lead Annual Spiritual Exercises in the Vatican". Congo Planet. 11 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 03.03.2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "The pope is 82. Who's next in line?". National Catholic Reporter. 20 November 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Congolese cardinal denounces violent crackdown on protesters". Catholic News Agency. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 01.11.2018" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 1 November 2018.
- ^ Pullella, Philip (12 December 2018). "Pope removes two cardinals hit by sex scandals from group of close advisers". Reuters. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ Rocca, Francis X. (12 December 2018). "Pope Cuts Three Cardinals—Two Tainted by Scandal—From Council". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ Assignon, Carole (11 July 2021). "Le cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya est mort ce dimanche" [Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya died this Sunday]. Deutsche Welle (in French).
- ^ Le Normand, Xavier (11 July 2021). "Grande figure de l'Église congolaise, le cardinal Monsengwo est mort" [Great figure of the Congolese Church, Cardinal Monsengwo is dead]. La Croix (in French).
External links
- "Monsengwo Pasinya Card. Laurent". Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.