Ebola “must not have the final say”: DR Congo Catholic Bishops Call for Action Against Deadly Outbreak

With support from Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the Catholic Bishops said they would provide material assistance to diocesan Caritas structures in Ituri, particularly those in Bunia, Wamba through its Mambasa branch, and Mahagi-Nioka.

They also thanked Pope Leo XIV for his pastoral concern for the Congolese people, his prayers and his call for increased international support to curb the epidemic.

The Catholic Church leaders identified misinformation, disinformation and inadequate access to reliable information as significant obstacles to controlling the outbreak.

The Catholic Bishops said some people continue to attribute Ebola to bad luck or witchcraft, while certain cultural practices related to treatment and funeral rites have contributed to resistance against preventive measures.

Such resistance, they noted, has at times escalated into attacks on response workers and the burning of treatment centers.

(Story continues below)

“These behaviors—which must be discouraged—alongside the deplorable war conditions affecting our country, contribute heavily to the spread of infections,” CENCO members said.

The Catholic Bishops consequently urged the Congolese population to take the Ebola outbreak seriously and strictly follow instructions from competent health authorities.

They called for frequent handwashing with soap and water or the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer, as well as avoiding handshakes—including during the sign of peace in Catholic churches across the country, even in dioceses outside officially affected provinces.

The CENCO members also urged people to cook food thoroughly, avoid eating meat from dead animals, and refrain from consuming raw food.

They further advised the population to avoid contact with blood, bodily fluids, and belongings such as clothing and bedsheets belonging to sick people.

Citizens were also urged not to handle the bodies of deceased persons, leaving such procedures to medical professionals, and to promptly take anyone showing symptoms, including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding, or blood in the urine, to the nearest health facility.

The Catholic Bishops called on Parish Priests and directors of diocesan pastoral centers to implement Ebola prevention and response plans through Living Ecclesial Communities and Catholic Action Movements.

The initiatives were launched in July by the Episcopal Commission for Evangelization and Caritas Congo.

The Church leaders also called on each diocesan Bishop to assess the risk of infection and transmission in collaboration with local health authorities and to adopt concrete measures, including adapting wakes and Christian funeral liturgies where necessary.

As the epidemic continues to threaten communities, the CENCO members emphasized that the Church’s response must combine faith with concrete action.

“May the Virgin Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted, intercede with her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, for the end of this epidemic,” they implored.