Half way through his homily, Father Victor Ntambwe brandished his voter card in front of the congregation in Saint Charles Lwanga church in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital.
With presidential elections just months away, he had an earthly message to deliver alongside the psalms and the sermon. He told the worshippers to follow his lead, hold up their cards and show they had registered.
Once again, the church is gearing up to monitor elections scheduled for December in which President Felix Tshisekedi will seek a second term in office. Amid the chaos, the Catholic church deployed thousands of observers across the country before and during voting. Sometimes, as was the case in the 2018 polls, its tallies - trusted by millions - have clashed with official results, raising concerns of fraud.Across Congo, the Catholic church is already in election mode. Abbots in Kinshasa are encouraging congregants to participate. The church has erected street banners urging people to enrol.
Equipped with a book and a cap with the CENCO logo, Nancy Makola took notes. She is one of 600 accredited observers overseeing the registration process, a number that will likely swell into the tens of thousands when voting gets underway in December.Makola visited 15 registration centres over the past month. She has concerns. The police denied her access when she returned to some centres, she said. A police spokesman did not respond to a call seeking comment.
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