In a bold move this week, the Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has escalated tensions with the government by publicly opposing a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow President Félix Tshisekedi to seek a third term in 2028.
The National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (CENCO) has urged President Tshisekedi to honor the oath he took «before God and the Nation,» warning that any attempt to alter the constitution could «fragment the country and plunge it into civil war.» The Church has also reserved the right to announce a timeline of grassroots actions, while calling on citizens to resist what it describes as an unconstitutional power grab.
Civil war fears rise amid constitutional debate
Under Congo’s current constitution, presidential terms are strictly limited to two. President Tshisekedi, in office since January 2019 and re-elected in 2023 for his second and final term, has recently suggested he may pursue a third term. His supporters have since pushed for a referendum to amend the constitution to allow this possibility.
Church reaffirms opposition to constitutional revision
The Catholic Church, which previously challenged former President Joseph Kabila’s attempts to extend term limits, has once again voiced strong opposition. In an extraordinary plenary assembly held in Kinshasa from June 18 to 20, 2026, the 37 bishops, cardinals, and priests of CENCO declared in a 17-point statement that «the Nation is in peril.»
The country remains embroiled in conflict despite multiple peace agreements. For the past four years, rebel groups like the Alliance of the Congo River / March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) have maintained control over large parts of North and South Kivu, effectively administering the territories they occupy.
Escalating violence and looming health crisis in the East
In Ituri and parts of North Kivu, armed factions such as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have been accused of massacring thousands of civilians. The situation is further compounded by an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the East, raising fears of a humanitarian catastrophe.
«What concerns us most,» stated the Congolese clergy, «is the growing tension fueled by the ruling majority’s campaign to revise the constitution of February 18, 2006.» They continued, «This campaign, backed by state resources, is unfolding in an atmosphere of fear, with dissenting voices within the majority silenced through intimidation. Opposition protests are met with violent repression by police, often in collusion with the ‘Force du Progrès,’ a political militia.»
The bishops emphasized that there is «no necessity, urgency, or opportunity» for constitutional change. Instead, they stressed that the nation’s priorities must be «peace, social welfare, unity, and national cohesion.»
Church accused of undermining democracy
In response, the Union sacrée pour la Nation (USN), a coalition of 400 political parties and movements supporting President Tshisekedi, condemned the CENCO’s statement as «an act of subversion against legitimate and democratically established institutions.»
The coalition declared in a statement, «It is regrettable to see bishops resort to rhetoric that clearly incites public uprising and the overthrow of constitutional order.»
