Drc catholic church warns against tshisekedi third term bid

Fresh tensions have flared this week between the Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the government, following a strong statement from the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) opposing a constitutional revision plan that could allow President Félix Tshisekedi to run for a third term in 2028.

CENCO is urging Tshisekedi to uphold the oath he swore “before God and the Nation” and has reserved the right to announce a timeline for grassroots actions. The bishops are calling on the population to resist what they describe as a move “that risks balkanizing the country and leading it to civil war.”

Risk of civil war

The Congolese constitution limits presidents to two terms. Tshisekedi has been in power since January 2019 and was re-elected in 2023 for what should be his final term. However, in early May, during a press conference, he hinted he might seek a third term and left the door open for a referendum to change the constitution. His political allies have been campaigning for that ever since.

Catholic church had already opposed constitutional change

The Catholic Church, which previously opposed former president Joseph Kabila’s attempt to unlock the constitution for a third term, has spoken out again. Concerned about the prospect of revision, CENCO held an “extraordinary plenary assembly” in Kinshasa from June 18 to 20, 2026.

In their 17-point final declaration published on CENCO’s website, the 37 members of the episcopal conference — including cardinals, bishops and priests — stated that “the Nation is in peril!” The country remains at war despite numerous peace agreements. For the past four years, the North and South Kivu provinces have been controlled by rebels from the Alliance of the Congo River / March 23 Movement (AFC/M23), who are steadily consolidating their administration over occupied territories.

Bloody war in the east and risk of Ebola spread

In Ituri and parts of North Kivu, other armed groups such as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) are “massacring thousands” of Congolese. Adding to these already grave situations, the Ebola hemorrhagic fever has appeared in the east, with a risk of spreading.

“Meanwhile, we observe with great concern a growing tension arising from the ruling majority’s campaign for a change to the Constitution of February 18, 2006,” lamented the Congolese clergy. “Unfortunately,” they continued, “this campaign, which mobilizes state resources, is taking place in a climate of terror against dissenting voices even within the majority, who are forced to keep silent for fear of reprisals. As for opposition protests, they are violently suppressed by the police, in collaboration with a political party militia called ‘Force du progrès’.”

For the Congolese bishops, there is “neither necessity, nor urgency, nor opportunity for changing the constitution.” The country’s priority, they insist, “is peace, social well-being of the people, unity and national cohesion.”

Bishops accused of subversion

In reaction to the bishops’ declaration, the Union Sacrée pour la Nation (USN) platform — a coalition of about 400 political parties and movements supporting President Tshisekedi — said it was “indignant” and condemned “with the utmost energy” the CENCO statement. According to the USN, the declaration “is nothing other than an act of subversion directed against legitimate and democratically established institutions.”

In a statement on their website, the president’s supporters declared: “It is regrettable to note that the bishops use in their diatribe several remarks clearly inciting popular uprising and the overthrow of the constitutional order.”