Relationship between christian churches in the Democratic Republic of the Congo : the perspective of ecumenical dialogue

Čovjek je religiozno biće. On vjeruje u vrhovno biće koje je Bog. No suočava se s problemom odabira prave vjere ili ne može ići dalje od obrazovanja i vjere kojoj pripada njegova obitelj. To se naširoko promatra u Demokratskoj Republici Kongo od ulaska kršćanstva do danas. Gotovo cjelokupno stanovništvo Konga pripada Crkvi i/ili vjeri koja djeluje u Demokratskoj Republici Kongo. Ova zemlja, smještena usred Afrike, trenutno je dom nekoliko kršćanskih crkava od početka 20. stoljeća. Važno je misliti na ekumensko jedinstvo svih ovih crkava kroz zajedničke skupove i molitve. Stoga je ekumenski dijalog u Demokratskoj Republici Kongo aktualno pitanje. Mnogi autori opširno objašnjavaju što dekreti i enciklike o ekumenizmu znače u kršćanskom životu. Na povijesni način, prvi dio ovog diplomskog rada odnosi se na ulazak ekumenskih crkava u Demokratsku Republiku Kongo, posebice Katoličke crkve, Protestantske crkve i pravoslavnih. Usput treba napomenuti da je nova kršćanska crkva koja je nastala u 20. stoljeću u Demokratskoj Republici Kongo i koja danas okuplja gotovo 10% stanovništva Konga i koja se već proširila na druge zemlje: to je kimbangvizam. I na teološki način, u drugom dijelu ovog diplomskog rada riječ je o manje-više poznavanju teološkog razvoja ekumenskih Crkava u Demokratskoj Republici Kongo. Te su crkve povezane s kongoanskom politikom, organizacijom ekumenske molitve, ali s druge strane postoji određeno protivljenje bilo kojoj ekumenskoj organizaciji ili skupu. U usporedbi s onim što se događa drugdje u svijetu, recimo da je beskorisno polemizirati jer se čovjek pridržava kršćanske religije po svom izboru s jedinom svrhom „spasenja“. I stoga, bit će potrebno promicati ljubav koja nas spaja. Druge reakcije sugeriraju da Kongoanci potječu iz iste obitelji i da izbor pripadnosti različitim religijama ne bi trebao biti prepreka za poricanje ljubavi prema bližnjemu.The human being is a religious being. He believes in a supreme being called God. But he faces the problem of choosing the right religion or cannot overcome the education and the religion to which his family belongs. This has been widely observed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the entry of Christianity to the present day. Almost the entire population of the Congo belongs to the Church and/or religions operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since the early 20th century this country, located in the middle of Africa, is home to several Christian churches. It is important to view the ecumenical unity of all these churches through joint gatherings and prayers. Therefore, ecumenical dialogue in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a current issue. Many authors explain in detail what decrees and encyclicals on ecumenism mean in the Christian life. The first part of this thesis, in a historical manner, deals with the entry of ecumenical churches into the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church and the Orthodox Church. Also, it should be noted that a new Christian church called Kimbanguism which was established in the 20th century in the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounts for about 10% of the Congolese population and has already spread to other countries. The second part of this thesis, in a theological manner, deals with knowledge of the theological development of the ecumenical Churches in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo. These Churches are associated with Congolese politics, the organization of ecumenical prayer, but on the other hand there is some opposition to any ecumenical organization or gathering. Compared to what is happening elsewhere in the world, it is useless to argue on this topic because a person adheres to the Christian religion of his choice with the sole purpose of „salvation“. And therefore, it will be necessary to promote love that unites us. Other reactions suggest that some Congolese who come from the same family and who choose to belong to different religions show that this should not be an obstacle to deny love for thy neighbour