# "Security is a right and not a privilege": Catholic priests demand protection after armed attacks in DRC’s Lubumbashi · Mercy Herald

> The Presbyteral Council of Lubumbashi urged DRC authorities to dismantle criminal networks following raids on convents and presbyteries.

Endereço: https://joinmercy.com/journal/en/security-is-a-right-and-not-a-privilege-catholic-priests-demand-protection-after
Atualizado em: 2026-11-13

[Photo: ACI Africa (aguardando autorização)](https://www.aciafrica.org/news/25297/security-is-a-right-and-not-a-privilege-catholic-priests-demand-protection-amid-attacks-in-dr-congos-lubumbashi)

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At the conclusion of the funeral Mass for Fr. Justin Mbaya Kanyimbu at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Lubumbashi, Catholic clergy demanded action from the Democratic Republic of the Congo government against repeated armed incursions targeting religious personnel. The statement was delivered on November 10, 2026, by the Vice President of the Archdiocese's Presbyteral Council.

Bandits, sometimes armed with weapons of war and machetes, storm religious communities, attacking, threatening, robbing and traumatizing those who have chosen to devote their lives to the service of the Gospel and society. The council's intervention highlighted how criminal groups in Haut-Katanga Province have repeatedly raided convents, rectories, and Church property during the night.

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