Intellectually, I was shaped by the pontificate of John Paul II with his social encyclicals,” said Cardinal Ambongo
Newsroom (18/09/2025, Gaudium Press ) For Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, stepping onto Polish soil for the first time carried a profound personal and spiritual weight. As the archbishop of Kinshasa and a leading voice in Africa’s Catholic Church, his visit to the homeland of St. John Paul II — the pontiff who profoundly shaped his vocation and worldview — felt like a homecoming of sorts. “Intellectually, I was shaped by the pontificate of John Paul II with his social encyclicals,” Cardinal Ambongo reflected in an exclusive interview with OSV News. “And then his example had a profound impact on us.”
The cardinal, known for his unflinching advocacy on issues of justice and peace, drew direct parallels between John Paul II’s legacy and his own mission. “Everything he did as pope, but also as a son of a country called Poland … the moral support he gave to the Solidarity movement, which enabled Poland to change and turn the page on communism — all these things had a profound impact on us,” he said. That inspiration, he explained, fuels his current commitment to combating injustice not only in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) but across Africa and beyond. “My commitment today to the cause of justice in my country, even on the African continent and globally, is inspired by the struggle of Pope John Paul II.”
The occasion for this milestone visit was the Council of Gniezno, held from Sept. 11-14, 2025, in the historic cradle of Polish Christianity. As president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Cardinal Ambongo joined an international gathering of prelates under the banner “The Courage of Peace: Christians Together for the Future of Europe.” Amid discussions on global harmony, he turned the spotlight to the protracted turmoil in his homeland, where natural riches have become a curse rather than a blessing.
“One might wonder why the Congo’s misfortune is its wealth, such that everyone wants to take it, whether it be mineral wealth or forest wealth,” Cardinal Ambongo told OSV News on Sept. 12. He decried how the DRC’s vast resources — including cobalt, coltan, and timber essential to global industries — are exploited by foreign interests, leaving Congolese citizens mired in poverty and violence. “Congo’s natural resources are being taken by others,” he lamented, “and Congolese people only suffer because of it.”
The DRC’s conflicts, now spanning more than three decades, trace their roots to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which spilled across borders and ignited a cycle of instability. Tensions escalated dramatically in early 2025 when the M23 rebel group seized control of key eastern cities like Goma and Bukavu. Church sources have sounded alarms over what they describe as a “silent genocide,” with millions displaced and untold lives lost in the shadows of international indifference.
In response, the Catholic Church in the region has emerged as a beacon of hope, spearheading a comprehensive peace initiative known as “The Social Pact for Peace and Living Well Together” in Congo and the Great Lakes area. This roadmap, initiated by the church, encourages dialogue among communities long divided by war and exploitation. “Instead of continuing to wage war on each other, we can sit down around a table and then each say what hurts us, what is wrong,” Cardinal Ambongo explained. “And then together, we will look for solutions.”
While the pact has gained traction across the sub-region — with neighboring countries expressing support — progress has stalled due to reluctance from the Kinshasa government. “The initiative is already quite advanced, but we note that all the countries in the sub-region have accepted it,” the cardinal said. “However, it is the government in Kinshasa that is hesitating and is not very enthusiastic about the initiative.”
Despite political hurdles, Cardinal Ambongo emphasized the church’s grassroots credibility. “The people are often, very often manipulated by the political powers,” he observed, but they find refuge in the church’s impartiality. “So we have the people with us. And that’s what gives us credibility. The political powers are no longer credible in the eyes of the people, but the people recognize … in the church’s initiative the hope for a way out of the crisis.” Bolstered by this popular trust, he vowed to press forward: “And because of that, we believe that we must continue to work on these projects.”
Behind the scenes, Vatican diplomacy is lending momentum. Cardinal Ambongo revealed that discussions are underway with the Holy See’s Secretariat of State and Pope Leo XIV himself. “Pope Leo is aware of our initiative and is encouraging us to go ahead with it,” he confirmed, signaling potential high-level endorsement for the pact.
Shifting to broader papal themes, the cardinal offered insights into the 2025 conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff in church history. “The feeling that filled all the cardinals was joy and satisfaction,” he recalled. “And we were certain that Pope Leo had truly been chosen by the Holy Spirit from the very beginning of his pontificate.” He praised Leo as a worthy successor, continuing “in the footsteps of his predecessors.”
For Cardinal Ambongo, Pope Leo’s foremost challenge is preserving unity amid the church’s global diversity. “When you are pope, your first responsibility is to ensure the unity of Catholics,” he said. “The Catholic Church is universal. Sometimes there are tendencies in one direction or another. And the role of the pope is to keep everyone united in the same family, regardless of our sensibilities, regardless of our opinions.” He underscored shared values and practices as the bedrock of Catholic identity: “We are all Catholics. And when we say Catholics, we are Catholics based on certain values that we share in common.”
Beyond unity, the pope must “confirm Catholics in their faith,” avoiding doubt and reinforcing core doctrines. Additionally, Cardinal Ambongo highlighted the need for a prophetic papal voice in a fractured world. “In a world that is falling apart, in a world where there are no longer any values, where we no longer believe in principles … the prophetic voice of the pope is extremely important,” he asserted. This voice, he argued, should prioritize human dignity over power dynamics: “We are counting on him to continue to make the prophetic voice of the church heard, reminding humanity that what matters above all else is the human being, not military power, economic power, or the law of the strongest imposing their will on the weakest.”
The cardinal expressed hope that Pope Leo would embody attentive leadership: “I expect the pope would first and foremost be a sovereign pontiff who listens” — to advisors, the faithful, and global voices. Describing Leo as “a man who speaks very little but listens a lot,” he urged broad consultation on major decisions to prevent missteps like those surrounding the controversial 2023 Vatican document “Fiducia Supplicans.”
As one of its most vocal critics, Cardinal Ambongo labeled “Fiducia Supplicans” — which permitted non-liturgical blessings for same-sex and unmarried couples — a “bad chapter in the history” of Pope Francis’s pontificate. Issued Dec. 18, 2023, between synod sessions on synodality, the document bypassed expected debate. “The least we expected was that it would be discussed, at least at the synod,” he said. “It was not discussed.” The fallout, he noted, extended beyond Catholics, sowing confusion and drawing rebukes from African faith leaders.
In response, as SECAM president, Cardinal Ambongo coordinated a continent-wide review. “I wrote to all the episcopal conferences in Africa to say that we should not react emotionally,” he recounted. “I asked each episcopal conference to meet, analyze the document, and let me know their reaction.” The result was a unified Jan. 11, 2024, statement rejecting such blessings in Africa, citing cultural incompatibility and potential scandal.
Cardinal Ambongo personally delivered a seven-page document to Pope Francis in Rome. “On the day I arrived, Pope Francis received me. We talked about it, and I believe that from that point on, he changed his mind,” he said. With the pope’s authorization, the statement — titled “No to the Blessing of Homosexual Couples in African Churches” — was made public. While declining to disclose confidential details on Francis’s regrets, the cardinal inferred understanding: “If he authorized me to publish it, I can conclude that he at least understood our approach.”
Reflecting on Pope Francis’s earlier engagement with Africa, Cardinal Ambongo expressed gratitude for the pontiff’s 2023 visit to Congo, where he decried exploitation: “Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa, it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered.” The message resonated deeply, even if it rankled politicians. “The message he brought was well received by the public,” the cardinal said.
At its core, Cardinal Ambongo views the African church as a source of hope and prophetic witness. His own vocation, sparked by a Belgian Capuchin missionary in his hometown of Bwamanda, exemplifies this enduring spirit. “It came from the example of the priest in my parish,” he said.
In a world where Western societies sometimes marginalize the church’s voice to appear “modern,” Africa’s Catholicism stands unapologetic. “In Africa, there is pride in being Catholic,” Cardinal Ambongo asserted. “It is a church that has no complexes. It is a church that does not tremble before others. But it is a church that holds its head high.”
As global challenges mount, he urged the universal church to embrace this boldness: “The universal church needs to maintain this prophetic dimension … alongside all the powerful, those who have money, those who have influence.” The church, he insisted, must courageously declare: “Be careful, you are going in the wrong direction.” In Gniezno, amid echoes of John Paul II, Cardinal Ambongo’s message was clear: Africa’s resilient faith offers lessons for a divided world.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from OSV News
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