Daniel Comboni
Comboni Missionaries
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DR Congo: Scholastics’ commitment to integral ecology in Kinshasa
Monday, March 23, 2026
Last Saturday, 21st March, a group of students from the Kinshasa scholasticate, members of the commission for integral ecology, as part of their Lenten journey of conversion, spent a few hours living alongside those who make a living from what they can salvage and recycle from the dumping ground. It was an act of solidarity, but at the same time a gesture of protest against the living conditions of the far too many people who are forced to struggle to survive. It is also an appeal for the great city of Kinshasa to become once again ‘beautiful’ (belle in French) rather than a ‘poubelle’ (rubbish dump).
Integral ecology, in fact, is increasingly becoming a cross-cutting dimension of the mission and formation of the Comboni missionaries, so that they may always be ready to listen to the cry of the earth — violated and plundered, especially in the DR Congo — and attentive to the cry of the poor. This is one of the so-called specific ministries, now indispensable in a world torn apart by wars and violence, where billions of people are denied the right to a full life.
We are all called to build a model of development capable of combining social justice with the safeguarding of the planet. What is at stake is not only the future of the planet, but also the possibility of guaranteeing a dignified life for all the peoples of the earth.
Fr Fernando Zolli, mccj