Bless our beautiful land, O Lord, with its wonderful variety of people, of races, cultures, and languages. May we be a nation of laughter and joy, of justice and reconciliation, of peace and unity, of compassion, caring and sharing. We pray this prayer for a true patriotism, in the powerful name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The article was first reported by The Agenzia Fides.

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - The people accused of complicity in the murder of Fr. Vincent Machozi, an Assumptionist priest killed on the night of 20 March 2016 in the village of Vitungwe-Isale, 15 km from Butembo in the Beni Territory, in the Province of North Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (see Fides 21/3/2016 ) have been acquitted.

The sentence of acquittal was issued by the military court of Butembo-Beni, during a hearing that took place on 6 September. The court in particular declared the main accused, Mwami Abdul Kalemire III, traditional leader innocent, who had invited Fr. Machozi to a peace meeting that, according to the accusation, apparently proved to be a deadly trap for the priest. Mwami had been arrested in Uganda and is still awaiting extradition in the DRC (see Fides 28/8/2017).

The civil part expressed disappointment with the sentence issued by the court in the absence of important defendants and witnesses. "We wonder how the court can fall so low to the point of issuing a judgment in the absence of the main defendant and in the absence of witnesses" protested one of the civil lawyers, Moses Kasereka Kangitsi.

The article was first reported by The Agenzia Fides.

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - "Dead City" in Butembo on the first anniversary of the assassination of Fr. Vincent Machozi, Assumptionist priest, who denounced the illegal exploitation of coltan in the region (see Fides 22/03/2016). Fr. Machozi was killed on the night of March 20, 2016 in the village of Vitungwe-Isale, 15 km from Butembo in the territory of Beni (North Kivu Province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo).

The entire population of Butembo participated in the commemoration of the courageous priest, animated by the club "Fr. Vincent’s friends" who presented a video on the gestures of the murdered father. A requiem Mass was celebrated at Lyambo de Kalemire parish.

Meanwhile there appears to be a light on the disappearance of the three Assumptionist fathers (Augustinians of the Assumption) of Congolese nationality, Jean-Pierre Ndulani, Anselme Wasikundi and Edmond Bamutute, who disappeared on the evening of October 19, 2012 from their Notre-Dame des Pauvres parish Mbau, 22 km from Beni (see Fides 22/10/2012). During the trial being held in Beni, it emerged that the three religious were abducted because they accidentally came into possession of a sum of money destined to the ADF. According to a statement a parcel with money for the ADF had been brought by helicopter and then thrown on a field near Mbau where it was to be recovered by the guerrillas. A peasant picked it up by chance and brought it to the parish. But when the guerrillas found out what had happened they decided to kidnap the priests to recover the sum of money. The ADF commander did not specify the fate of the three Assumptionists. His story, however, is to be verified, and the court of Beni has not yet concluded its work. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 21/03/2017)

132^nd Annual Novena to Saint Anne - PDF file