Roman Catholic Bishops And Political Corruption In Africa

One would have thought that the church would be the place where the brazen political corruption in Africa would be clearly recognized and denounced. However, it is only in rare cases that such recognition and denunciation occur. This is especially evident in the responses of the bishops of Africa to political corruption. It is only very rarely that these leaders, who are supposed to be pastors, raise their voices against the oppression of their people. We recently saw how the bishops of Cameroon blessed Paul Biya's stolen election in the church as the whole country goes down under the Biya dictatorship. However, the bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo have denounced the machinations of Joseph Kabila for the treachery that it is. In the corrupt and corrupting politics of many African countries, one would have hoped that bishops would be at the forefront of seeking better life for their peoples. However, many of them have too often played the role of accomplices. It is a sad state of affairs.