Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya

Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya was born on October 7, 1939, in Mongobele. A brilliant biblical linguist who earned his doctorate from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, Monsengwo became Archbishop of Kisangani in 1988 and Archbishop of Kinshasa in 2007, created Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI.

Elected President of the Sovereign National Conference (CNS) in 1991, Monsengwo guided the country toward democratic constitutional transition. Throughout political turmoil, he was the fearless moral voice against electoral fraud and violence, famously declaring during the 2018 political crisis: 'Let the mediocre step aside!'