Ernest Kombo

Ernest Kombo SJ ( born March 27, 1941 in Pointe- Noire, Republic of Congo; † 22 October 2008 in Paris, France) was a Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Owando. He was instrumental in the establishment of democracy in the Republic of Congo.

Life

Ernest Kombo came from a family with six children, attended after primary school in Bandzadouga small seminars in Mbamou and the large seminar in Kissoundi. Subsequently, he joined the Congregation of the Society of Jesus in Aix -en- Provence; he was the first Congolese Jesuit. On July 8, 1973 he was ordained a priest for the Society of Jesus.

In 1983 he was appointed by Pope John Paul II, the first bishop of the diocese Nkayi. He received his episcopal consecration on January 6, 1984, Pope John Paul II himself; Eduardo Cardinal Martínez Somalo were co-consecrators and Duraisamy Simon Cardinal Lourdusamy. In 1986, he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Pointe -Noire; In 1990 he was appointed Bishop of Owando.

Ernest Kombo lived for health reasons in 2007 in Paris and died in Paris hospital Val -de- Grâce from a stomach cancer.

Work

With the shift away from socialism, the " Republic of Congo " was proclaimed in 1991. Ernest Kombo was the head of the democratization process in the Congo for the abolition of the Unity Party of PCT and the development of the multi-party system, as well as Chairman of the Transitional Legislative Assembly of the National Conference in 1990 and President of the Supreme Council of the Congo " Conseil Supérieur de la république " (CSR) from February 1991 to August 1992, up to the first democratic elections held.

He was president from 2003 to 2006 the Episcopal Conference of Congo. Bishop Kombo was especially known for his commitment against corruption, poor governance and the unsatisfactory use of oil revenues. In support of the population, he called the foundation " Terram Pacis ", which as an observatory observed with the support of the Episcopal Conference of the Congo and the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa region ( ACERAC ), the political and social life and acted as the initiator of developments.