Catholic leaders in Congo have gathered more than 1.5 million signatures on a petition that demands local elections to curb corruption and strengthen democracy.
Congo's bishops said a young Catholic was killed at point-blank range and another was shot dead while trying to return home from anti-government protests.
Just as people are "struggling to survive" in Congo, aid agencies are struggling to meet their needs, said Chiara Nava, an advisor to an agency focusing on education and child protection.
The Congolese bishops' conference defended its "engagement in actions affecting politics" in a Feb. 1 website statement, following church talks with a delegation from the Southern African Development Community.
Making Peace: In places like Congo and the Central African Republic, church leaders have been deeply involved in peacemaking, in a mark of the engagement fostered by Pope Francis.
