The origins
From the5th to the 15th century, the theological-political system was already at work in the Kongo Kingdom. The king, in charge of linking the ancestors with the visible world, was endowed with divinatory powers.
Rise of Catholicism
The first evangelization campaign coincided with the discovery of the mouth of the Congo River in 1482 by the Portuguese navigator Diego Cão. From the 19th century onwards, European Catholic and Protestant missionaries would penetrate the territory, following the various waves of evangelization, sometimes brutal, of the local populations. The Constitution of the Independent State of Congo (EIC) in 1885 enshrined, on paper, freedom of conscience and religious tolerance. The first Belgian missionaries (White Fathers) arrived in Congo in 1888. As soon as the EIC was created, the Church was given a civilizing role in addition to its evangelizing mission, notably through education and health care.
The Congolese Catholic Church
Today, the Catholic Church in Congo is organized and subdivided into six pastoral provinces called archdioceses (Kinshasa, Mbandaka-Bikoro, Kisangani, Kananga, Lubumbashi, Bukavu), which administer numerous local dioceses. The Church is headed by the powerful Conférence épiscopale nationale du Congo (CENCO), the assembly in which the Catholic bishops jointly exercise their pastoral responsibilities. They also meet in provincial episcopal assemblies. Over the past few years, CENCO and the Congolese bishops have regularly taken up the cause of ensuring free and transparent elections that respect the constitution, and denouncing political excesses.
Protestant evangelism
The first missionaries of the Baptist Missionary Society (BMS) arrived in the Congo in January 1878. In February, pastors Graven and Telford of the Livingstone Inland Mission began evangelical work in Palabala, in what is now the province of Central Kongo. Knowing that the pillar of the Belgian presence was the Catholic Church, the Protestant movement gradually consolidated its action. In particular, by identifying the Congo as the world's largest missionary field, and by building the Union Mission House, the forerunner of CAP, a common hostelry for all Protestant missions in the Congo. In 1924, the Conseil Protestant du Congo was founded to harmonize the evangelical work and consolidate the unity of Protestant Christians. Ten years later, the church authorities adopted the name Église du Christ au Congo (ECC) in place of the Conseil Protestant du Congo.
The Church of Christ in Congo
Since then, through institutional reforms and regroupings, the ECC has consolidated, with the various missions becoming sections of the Church under the leadership of a national President. The ECC has some 320,000 parishes, 4,560 elementary school, 1,860 secondary schools, and some 40 institutions of higher and university education across the DRC. The ECC provides a central administration and spiritual forum for member churches. It brings together 95 Protestant and evangelical Christian denominations: Lutheran, Anglican Reformed, Mennonite, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal..
The rise of the revivalist churches
Inspired by the Pentecostal movement in the USA and the Charismatic Renewal movement, these revivalist churches are springing up on every street corner, in cities and in the interior of the country. Many of these communities have doctrine or teachings adapted by independent pastors, while others are part of structured denominations. Also known as evangelical churches, the vast majority of their pastors do not encourage the vow of poverty... The themes addressed are generally those of the Old Testament, but pastors also declaim the teachings of Jesus Christ at every turn.
Evangelical drift
Seen as God's answer to his people in the face of the multi-faceted crisis that has plagued the country for several decades, spiritual awakening in the Congo has significantly influenced Congolese behavior. It has not escaped certain pitfalls and excesses, with its leaders generally taking excessive advantage of the faith, or credulity, of the faithful who are ready to cling to anything to escape their difficult daily lives. Many abuses can be observed on the part of self-proclaimed pastors, who perform exorcisms, perform miracles in stadiums... in exchange for hard cash. To increase their reach and influence, these churches often have their own radio and TV channels, contributing to their enormous spiritual and commercial success.
Muslim presence
The discreet presence of the Muslim religion in the DRC is most evident in the east, in the border regions with Tanzania and Sudan in particular. And in the province of Maniema, considered to be the cradle of Islam in the Congo. This is due to historical reasons linked to the Arab occupation of this region in the 19th century, during the slave campaigns waged from Zanzibar, the epicenter of which was at one time the territory of Kasongo.
Islamic community in DR Congo
In other parts of the DRC, Islam remains the religion of the West African Waras and Ndingaris communities, and of the large Lebanese and, to a lesser extent, Pakistani diaspora. All these communities, which are often involved in trade, are well established in Congolese cities, including Kinshasa. A number of mosques can be found in the Congolese capital, including those in Barumbu, Lingwala and Zone ya Kin. The call of the muezzins is being emulated by young Kinshasaites seeking new spiritual experiences, who can be seen wearing djellabas in town. The Muslim religion is represented in the DRC by the highest Islamic body: the Communauté Islamique en RD Congo (COMICO), which brings together all Muslims, regardless of race, ethnicity or nationality.
Creation of Kimbanguism
The Kimbanguist Church was founded by Simon Kimbangu on April 6, 1921, when he was credited with the miraculous healing of a sick woman at the site of Nkamba, in the present-day province of Central Kongo. In September of the same year, Simon Kimbangu was arrested by the Belgian colonial administration, who accused him of dissidence and defiance of colonial power, for having prophesied the end of colonization during one of his sermons. He was sent to Elisabethville (Lubumbashi) and imprisoned for 30 years until his death in 1951. Scattered across the country, Kimbangu's followers continued to preach their prophet's message, fostering the expansion of this new religious movement. The Kimbanguist cult was finally officially recognized by the Belgian administration on December 24, 1959, and admitted by the Protestant Ecumenical Council in 1960. On June 22, 1958, at the first Kimbanguist congress, Joseph Diangienda Kuntima, son of the prophet, was recognized as spiritual head of "the Church of Jesus Christ on Earth by his special envoy Simon Kimbangu".
The Kimbanguist Church
Kimbanguism is the only official Christian religion to have originated in Africa, and its influence extends far beyond the borders of the DRC, across the entire continent, and within African diasporas the world over. Simon Kiangani Kimbangu, Simon Kimbangu's grandson, has headed the church since August 26, 2001. Under his aegis, the centenary of the Nkamba cult was celebrated on April 6 and 7, 2021. Thousands of pilgrims gathered for the occasion in the imposing, immaculate, two-tower, two-level temple - built by the faithful and inaugurated in 1985 - which can accommodate up to 37,000 people. It is forbidden to wear shoes in the temple and in the city of Nkamba, and women must cover their heads and wear a loincloth in the green and white colors of the cult. The cult has a number of socio-cultural movements at its heart, the most notable of which is the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra (OSK), made popular by the film Kinshasa Symphony, and which today performs all over the world.
Ancestor worship
Ancestor worship is the common pillar of African societies and the basis of the main traditional religions. The purpose of ancestor care is to make life better for the ancestor in the afterlife, and to ensure that traditions are respected. The living thus have duties towards the dead, to whom they make offerings and seek advice. In return, ancestors are expected to protect their descendants. The ancestor also remains a privileged intercessor with the gods. If an individual reconciles the gods and the ancestors, he or she will benefit from their strength and blessings on earth.
Sacred masks and statuettes
In many tribes, this ancestor worship is manifested by the presence of statuettes or masks. The making of masks, knowledge of their signs and shapes, as well as their wearing and the associated dance and music, are the prerogative of the initiated. The mask itself takes on a sacred character from the moment it is first worn, becoming alive as it is inhabited by the spirits of the ancestors. Masks differ from one ethnic group to another, depending on their role. Masks with anthropomorphic figures are generally dedicated to the ancestors, so that they can intercede with the gods to ensure a good harvest, for example. But masks also play a decisive role in group cohesion.
