CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Leaders of the Catholic Church in Africa are calling for humanitarian aid and peace efforts in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo after rebel forces captured a major city.<\/p>\n\tIn light of \u201cthe mission of Christian charity and solidarity,\u201d the African bishops called on various charitable organizations to renew and strengthen their efforts to ease \u201cthe suffering afflicting these brothers and sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tMeeting in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa to discuss nonprofit work in the region, bishops from 34 African nations issued a Nov. 22 statement condemning the recent violence in the city of Goma and calling for an international response.<\/p>\n
\tFighting between a rebel group known as M23 and the Congolese army intensified when the rebels seized the major eastern city of Goma, home to about one million people, on Nov. 20.<\/p>\n
\tThe violent clash has resulted in huge numbers of people being displaced from their homes and left without food, water or shelter.<\/p>\n
\tOriginally a smaller rebel group that was integrated into the national army in a fragile 2009 peace agreement, the M23 rebels broke from the army several months ago and began taking over various cities across the country. Rwanda and Uganda have both been accused of supporting the rebel group.<\/p>\n
\tWitnesses in Goma have reported that the situation remains precarious.<\/p>\n
\tThe bishops expressed solidarity and concern for the Congolese people, along with shock and outrage at the armed violence. They warned that the continuing clashes are causing a major humanitarian crisis that demands immediate attention.<\/p>\n
\tThe prelates observed that among the victims of the war are the thousands of men, women and children who have been displaced and abandoned in Goma and the surrounding areas.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThey are exposed to the bad weather, hunger, rape and all kinds of abuses, including recruiting of children into the army,\u201d the Church leaders said. \u201cThis constitutes an offence to their dignity as human beings and children of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tTens of thousands of people are estimated to have fled their homes and relief camps in Congo as the violence escalated. Aid groups in the area are working to provide for the essential needs of these people.<\/p>\n
\tOn Nov. 27, Catholic Relief Services said that it was committing a quarter of a million dollars to distributing essential items to thousands of people in Goma and the nearby area, where many now lack access to shelter and electricity.<\/p>\n
\tWorking with its local partners, Catholics Relief Services plans to distribute food, water and emergency supplies to about 10,000 displaced people in the coming days.<\/p>\n
\tThe organization said that its international staff members \u201chave all been temporarily relocated to a safe location in neighboring Rwanda, where they remain in contact with their national colleagues who are reported safe in Goma.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tCaritas offices in the region are open and currently assessing the needs of the community, said Fr. Oswald Musoni, director of Caritas Goma.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe situation is calmer, but we\u2019re still uncertain about what tomorrow will bring,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\tThe African bishops said that they are \u201cconvinced that the time is no longer for war or conquest, but rather to promote cooperation between peoples.\u201d They encouraged a fair, just and transparent use of natural resources and stressed that the \u201cterritorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of Congo must be protected and respected by all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tJoining their voices with those of the bishops of the Congo, the prelates called upon the nation\u2019s government, as well as the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union to work for immediate peace and respect for human life in Goma.<\/p>\n
\tThey also launched an appeal for help to other nations involved in the fighting and in multinational companies that extract resources in the area.<\/p>\n
\tThese international actors must use honest and transparent dialogue to \u201caddress the causes of this recurrent violence,\u201d they said, adding that this is the only way to find real peace and end the suffering, despair and violence that the people are currently experiencing.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe perpetrators of such violence and destruction should be brought to justice,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n
\tThe bishops entrusted the situation to Mary, Our Lady of Africa and Our Lady of Peace, and asked God touch the lives of those who are engaging in acts of violence, opening their hearts to peace and fraternal respect.<\/p>\n
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Washington D.C., Nov 28, 2012 \/ 04:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Leaders of the Catholic Church in Africa are calling for humanitarian aid and peace efforts in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo after rebel forces captured a major city.<\/p>\n
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