At a recent UN Human Rights Council meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (map), Msgr. John Putzer said that the Holy See “firmly condemns all acts of violence, especially those that result in the loss of life and all forms of sexual violence.”

“The Holy See is particularly concerned by the attacks on the Catholic Church and Church institutions,” he added, citing the “desecration of several churches and places of worship [and] the storming of the residence of Cardinal Ambongo, the Archbishop of Kinshasa,” as well as attacks on Catholic refugee camps.