College of Cardinals

Biographical notes

[Updated: 14.04.2013]

Notice: the biographical notes are only a working instrument for the press.

Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kinshasa, was born on 7 October 1939 in Mongobele, Democratic Republic of Congo. After studying at the seminary in Africa, he came to Rome to study theology at the Pontifical Urbanian University. 

He was ordained a priest on 21 December 1963.

He also studied at the Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome and of Jerusalem. He subsequently moved back to Africa and began teaching Sacred Scripture at the theological faculty in Kinshasa and at John XXIII Major Seminary. 

On 13 February 1980 he was appointed titular Bishop of Aquae Novae of Proconsulari and Auxiliary of Inongo. He was consecrated on 4 May 1980.

On 7 April 1981 he was appointed Auxiliary of Kisangani.

On 1 September 1988 he was appointed Archbishop of Kisangani.

In 1984, he was elected president of the Episcopal Conference. During the 1990s, he took an active role in his country’s political situation, helping to guide the country in the delicate transition from Zaire to the Democratic Republic of Congo and promoting peace.

On 6 December 2007 he was appointed Archbishop of Kinshasa.

During Lent of 2012 he was called to preach the spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia in which Pope Benedict XVI took part.

On 30 June 2012 he was nominated President Delegate of the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to be held in the Vatican on 7-28 October 2012, on the theme "The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith".

On 13 April 2013 he was made a member of the group of cardinals established to advise Pope Francis in the government of the universal Church and to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia,‘Pastor Bonus’.

• Congregations: for Catholic Education; Evangelization of Peoples;
• Pontifical Councils: for Justice and Peace; for Culture; for Social Communications;
• XIII Ordinary Council of the Secretariat General of the Synod of Bishops;
• II Special Council for Africa of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.

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