“This is a step backwards! I don’t think that a responsible government can raise such an option to punish people who are called traitors,” he said. “First of all, on the notion of traitors, we must first agree on what that means. And when I look at the reality here in the Congo, the great traitors to the country are precisely those in power.”
When those in power “don’t serve the interests of the people, they are the ones we have to start considering as traitors, because they don’t assume the roles for which they have been entrusted, that is, service to the population,” Ambongo said.
“I wouldn’t want us to take advantage of a vague notion of traitors to settle political scores,” said the cardinal, who is also the president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).
With the lifting of the moratorium in DRC, the death penalty is to be carried out following any judicial conviction for offenses that include criminal conspiracy, treason, espionage, participation in armed gangs, participation in an uprising, crimes against humanity, military conspiracy, and rebellion, among others.
In his March 17 interview, Ambongo also addressed a number of issues in his country including violence in the Eastern Province and the Church’s stance on political and social issues.
“I always say the Catholic Church, and especially the cardinal, is not neutral. Jesus Christ was not neutral,” he said. “The political class would like to see the Catholic Church, and especially the cardinal of the Congo, maintain an attitude of neutrality with regard to their actions.”