Zaire bishops ask President to explain intentions

THE Episcopal Conference of Zaire has formally asked President Mobutu for clarification of his intentions towards the Catholic Church in the country, the Vatican has learned.
This document, sent to President Mobutu several weeks ago, has, so far as is known, received no answer, but last week the President suddenly reconfirmed the Catholic Rector of the National University in Kinshasa and all other Catholic priest directors of other institutions.
"We are at a loss to know exactly what is going on," a Vatican prelate said. "We know that all priests had been suspended by Mobutu but that the Episcopal Conference had permitted them to remain in caretaker roles until the end of June — the start of the long summer holiday recess.
"Presumably, with the autumn classes due to begin next month, it would appear that Mobutu has need of qualified rectors and directors, but what attitude the bishops will take we do not yet know. " This informant added: "Last spring President Mobutu banned any meetings of the Episcopal Conference, headed by Bishop Lesambo of Inongo, unless held within the framework of the 'Popular Movement of the Revolution'.
"Apparently the conference has met and decided to seek clarification from the President."
Earlier in the year a ChurchState crisis had arisen when President Mobutu had banned religious teaching — except Mobutism — in all schools, suppressed the Faculty of Theology in the National University, replaced crucifixes and photographs of Pope Paul by pictures of himself and had threatened to "close down every Catholic Church in the nation."
Relations between President Mobutu and the Catholic Church in Zaire have been tense for several years. Two years ago, when President Mobutu visited Europe and spent five days in Italy, he did not ask for a papal audience which, this prelate stated, would immediately have been granted. In 1974, Cardinal Joseph Malula. Archbishop of Kinshasa, was forced to spend four months in exile in Rome over difficulties with President Mobutu. When he returned to Kinshasa no further mention of those difficulties was made.
One of the major issues was the President's order that all Catholic bishops should abandon their "Christian" first names and adopt local ones.