Page 33 - Reflexions of African Bishops and Priests

The Pilgrims of St Michael and Social Credit

Testimony of Bishop Bernard Emmanuel Kasanda Mulenga

In March, 2010, at our latest week of study in
Rougemont, Canada, on the social doctrine of the
Church and its implementation (based on Alain Pi-
lote’s book The Social Credit Proposals Explained in
10 Lessons), we had two bishops from the Democratic
Republic of Congo, including Most Rev. Bernard Em-
manuel Kasanda Mulenga, Bishop of the Diocese of
Mbuji-Mayi. Here is the testimony he gave:
I have already told you how delighted I was and
happy to have met you. And I am very grateful for all
the work that is being done and that which was done
by Alain Pilote. I strongly recommend that this book,
Ten Lessons on Social Credit, be distributed to the
people you wish to reach. I think this book says it all.
Let me share with you a phone conversation I had
this morning with the archbishop of Ottawa. He knew
I was in Rougemont and he enquired about the object
of my visit. I said I came to attend a week’s seminar on
the social doctrine of the Church and on Social Credit.
He asked: “How many Bishops are there?”
I said: “We are two Congolese Bishops.” am impressed by his having spent forty-five years in
Then he asked: “Was there any mention, did you your organization after beginning in 1934-35 as you
talk about the Pope’s latest Encyclical letter (Caritas in have mentioned. These were outstanding people.
veritate)?” How delightful! Added to the pleasure was my
I said to him: “Yes indeed! It is really a course meeting all of you. Different faces with highly diverse
based upon the social doctrine and the Magisterium experiences. And I wish to keep in touch with you.
of the Church but in relation to the intuition of how to To keep in touch also with your other distinguished
cancel debts, how to function without a debt-money guests whom I was able to meet. I truly enjoyed their
system to avoid debts, public debts and debts as a approach and their vision of the world and thoughts
whole. And also, how to allow people to consume all on economic reality.
the goods and products they make. I gave him a very Here is how I met the Pilgrims of Saint Michael. It
short summary, but I do believe that sending him a is through Mr. Marcel Lefebvre who came to my Dio-
book like this (The Social Credit Proposals Explained cese of Mbuji-Mayi. This story includes Bishop Nestor
in 10 Lessons) could do much to appease him and to, Ngoy (of the Diocese of Kolwezi, also in the Demo-
why not, charm him! cratic Republic of Congo, who came to the “Michael”
Thus I am very happy. I am returning home and Congress in Rougemont, Canada, a few years ago)
I will study further. I hope that tomorrow, we will re- and Father Albert Kaumba, also of the Diocese of Kol-
capitulate what we have learned today, as good stu- wesi, who accompanied Mr. Lefebvre in his tour in Af-
dents together with our teacher. We will go over some rica. Bishop Nestor is attached to our diocese for some
of the material but this is a book to study in depth. And special events. There is a Marian Shrine he cherishes,
I believe that all has been said or that much is written the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. He often comes to
in this book. pray there. With the team of people who organize the
In his lifetime, Mr. Louis Even spoke up as few pilgrimages at the Shrine, including its rector, Msgr.
Placide Mukendi (vicar general of the diocese of Mbuji-
people have: visionaries who understand and who Mayi, who came to Rougemont in 2009). Bishop Nes-
see far ahead into the future. And once they have tor has kept in touch with us. Thus it is that through his
seized the reality, nothing stops them from going to priest we learned of the existence of this Movement,
the very end; nothing. They must push forward with the Pilgrims of Saint Michael with the message that
the idea. They remain steadfast, “the great tenacious they spread, it could only pass through his diocese in
apostles”, as you call them. order to reach us.
Mr. Even persevered. He went to the end. And I
Only recently, in February, as part of the perma-

www.michaeljournal.org 2009 session 33