The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country of enormous contrasts and extraordinary possibilities. The D.R. Congo is the third largest country in Africa, and its fourth most populous.

The Congo represents one of the world's largest living tragedies: its legacy of war has left 3.5 million dead, 3.4 million displaced persons, 17 million people with inadequate food, 1.3 million infected with HIV, and a country ranked 167 out of 175 on the UN human development index. As is always the case in war, the children have been the most impacted. One in 5 children do not reach the age of five, 38 percent suffer from malnutrition, 50 percent of children ages 6-11 do not attend school, and thousands more are victims and/or witnesses of killings, sexual abuse and abduction.

At the same time, it remains an economic powerhouse for all of Africa. The Congo River is one of the largest supplies of fresh water in Africa, and some places it is 12 miles across --- guaranteeing fresh water and crop irrigation. The Congo has the potential to feed most of the continent. The Congo has captured the power of this river through hydroelectric power stations, and has the potential to provide electricity to all of Africa. It is rich in oil, diamonds, and numerous other metals. All of these resources have great potential

But there is cause for optimism: a new sense of national identity is emerging, there is war fatigue among everyone, the people can now understand the peace dividend that is within their grasp, and the international commitment sustains hope for a brighter future. The UN has a great presence in the Congo, and is determined not to allow this opportunity to vanish.

Of all these hopeful factors, none is greater than the presence and role of the Catholic Church. Approximately half of the Congo people are Catholics, and the Church is the single greatest provider of basic human services: religious formation and worship, health care, education, development projects, and self-help enterprises. Cardinal Frederick Etsou, the Archbishop of Kinshasa, is a renowned advocate of a new and brighter Congo for all its people.

Free and fair elections are slated for June 2005, and the Church is taking a primary role in educating the people in the principles of good citizenship and participation in the life of their communities and country. Other Churches have now joined this overall effort, and the civic formation of the people is critical to a democratic future.

As American Catholics, we should be very proud of the presence of Catholic Relief Services [CRS] in the Congo. CRS plays a vital role in so many of the food, medical care, and self-help projects across the country. When we take up special collections for CRS, you can be most certain that every dollar is wisely spent in these countries. Their staff are most impressive in their commitment to help local peoples emerge as free and prosperous. CRS has been involved in the Congo for years, and ably represents all of us.

I was privileged to visit one of the Bondeko Villages where the Church cares for the handicapped children of Kinshasa. Without little government assistance, these Villages welcome the disabled, deaf, mentally ill, and other handicapped children. It was a great joy to see them making progress in basic skills.

A visit to their Cathedral of Notre Dame du Congo demonstrated the deep faith and participation of the Catholics in the life of their Church. There is great devotion at the tomb of the late Cardinal Malula who was a pioneer in promoting human rights for all Congolese. The people pray at his tomb daily as they hope for a new tomorrow for themselves and their nation. Kinshasa has 4 million Catholics, and parish life is vibrant wherever you visit.

It is impressive to see groups of lay ministers gathered on a Saturday afternoon, everyone rehearsing their roles for Sunday Masses. There is great pride among the people in sharing their faith-lives in very visible ways.

There is an impressive custom in the Congolese parishes: special bright and colorful cloth is created which bears the image and name of the local parish. That material is then made available to the parishioners who create beautiful dresses and shirts. When celebrating Mass with parishioners, one sees this vast sea of color and symbols of their local parish.

This past Sunday I concelebrated Mass at St. Augustine Parish with Cardinal Etsou --- he and I were created Cardinals together in 1991. They were celebrating their 45th anniversary as parish, and it was one of those memorable African Liturgies. Almost everyone was dressed in multi-colored clothing created for the anniversary, and featuring an image of St. Augustine as an African. The Mass lasted three hours --- filled with song, dance, greetings, presentations and exuberant joy and hope. I was presented with several gifts, one of which was a live goat! Since I could not imagine clearing Customs at LAX with a live goat, I donated him to the Sisters who care for the Apostolic Nunciature.

Even though it is very hot, one does not take note of time during these joyous liturgies. The smiles on people's faces reveal their very deep faith and hope for a better tomorrow. A people as poor as the Congolese have developed a profound faith in God and they truly believe that they are about to emerge as an important country sharing their natural resources with many in Africa.

A widespread phenomenon in the Congo is sorcery and witchcraft --- introduced into the country by various fanatical African religious sects. They have convinced many people that the cause of their family problems is the presence of a witch in the house --- most often an elderly person or a child. Families are told that they must expel the witch or their luck will not improve.

The consequence of this thinking is the wholesale abandonment of elderly people and children. They are literally thrown out onto the streets.

The Church has responded to this tragedy by developing homes for the abandoned, aged people. It is shameful because no one in their family ever comes to see them; they are outcasts. St. Peter's Parish operates one home for these elderly people, begun by Cardinal Etsou when he was the pastor of St. Peter's parish.

It is horrific to see small children wandering abandoned on the streets --- all because someone convinced their family that they were witches. CRS and the Divine Word Fathers operate seven centers for these children: two are drop-in centers where the youngsters can come to shower, wash their clothes, get a meal, and maybe attend a class or two. But they go back out onto the streets following their visit. They operate five other residential centers where the children reside full-time, go to school, and are helped with their problems.

These centers have been successful in reuniting many of the children with their families, and have shown the parents the progress the children have made thereby dispelling the notion of witchcraft.

In past years, the family ties were strong and no one would be thrown out onto the streets. But social disintegration has resulted from so many civil wars, and original Congo values have suffered greatly.

This is just a brief snapshot of the Congo in general, and Kinshasa in particular. The next report will come from the interior of the Congo --- the Diocese of Tshumbe. From there, on to Rwanda and Burundi.

The prayers of our Catholic people in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, together with our full support of CRS, will help bring about a new, peaceful, and hope-filled Congo.