A delegation of the French Bishops’ Conference (CEF) is visiting Congo-Brazzaville from 20 to 27 July at the invitation of the local episcopate. The visit, says a brief statement put out by the CEF, “is a sign of communion with and expression of support for the Congolese Church and its action in favour of peace and solidarity”. The programme includes a visit to the Region of Pool, the city of Kinkala and Pointe-Noire. The party will then travel north to Ouesso. A mass in the cathedral of St. Anne in Brazzaville is planned for Sunday 24 July. It will be officiated by Archbishop Jean-Pierre Ricard, who is leading the delegation that includes Archbishop André Lacrampe of Besançon, who heads the national solidarity council, Msgr. Stanislas Lalanne, general secretary of the CEF, and Jean-Pierre Richer, president of the French aid organization Secours catholique. The visit is a follow up to that in July 2004 when a delegation of the CEF went to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ruanda and Burundi.
