The role of Church missions in the systematic development of political life in the Belgian Congo from 1885--1960

Belgium ruled the Congo from about 1885 until 1960. During this period, many Congolese were killed, as the Belgians exacted cruel control of the land and resources. The Catholics and other missionaries received funding from the Belgians, and later became proxies for Belgian rule in the Congo. Even though Protestant missionaries run missionary schools, Catholics controlled the educational system and benefited from Belgian benevolence to support their efforts. The paper will research the ongoing work of the Church during this period of Belgian rule in the Congo.;When King Leopold annexed the Congo as his personal property in 1885, he subsidized and funded the Belgian Roman Catholic Church to help them set up missions in the Congo. In fact, the Church became an apparatus of Belgian control so much so that the locals could not distinguish between the colonial administration and the Catholic Church. The mission of the Church, according to the Colonial administration was to "civilize the local population.";In writing this thesis, an examination of Marvin Markowitz's "Cross and Sword", Ch. Didier Gondola's "The History of Congo" and Wellington Wack's "The Story of The Congo Free State" provided primary information for the paper. Substantive information about Belgian Congo is also contained in "King Leopold's Ghost" written by Adam Hochschild, and a historical account of the Congo documented by David Renton, David Seddon and Leo Zeilig.;Several protestant missionaries also voiced their concerns about the level of brutality exerted by the Belgians, after being exposed to the realities of Belgian administration. The Congo Reform Association was formed to spread the news about Belgian atrocities in Congo, and gained the support of prominent people such as Mark Twain and Arthur Conan Doyle. Notably the Catholic Church has a history of acknowledging and apologizing for acts in which it was involved directly or indirectly. Some of its apologies include its participation in the Crusades, the Holocaust and most recently, the sexual abuse scandals. Despite the depth of its involvement in administering the Congo, and knowledge of the brutal methods used by the Belgians in that colony; I did not find any documented evidence of the Catholic Church expressing or acknowledging any role regret in Congo during Leopold's ownership of the territory.