Congolese prelate murdered

Press, 24 March 1977, Page 6

Congolese prelate murdered

NZPA-Reuter Brazzaville

; The Archbishop of Braazaville was murdered during | the night only five davs iafter the assassination of the : Congolese President. Marien (Ngouabi, it was officially (announced yesterday.

Official sources added that three members of President (Ngouabi’s family were al ileged to have killed Cardinal Emile Biavenda and had been arrested.

! The 11-man military comimittee which has rim the (Congo since the President was killed la t Friday issued a communique saying the Archbishop’s death now “plunged the Congo into the double national mourning." The communique said: “The killers of Cardinal Biayenda will be punished in exemplary fashion as will the assassins of President Ngouabi. “The military committee cannot accept such acts which are just blind passion and banditry, and it severely warns all those who will trouble public order.” Cardinal Biayenda had an audience with President Ngouabi last Friday, just 30 minutes before the Congolese leader was shot dead by men alleged by the military committee to have been backed by a former President, Aphonse MassambaDebat.

Massamba-Debat, President from 1963 to August, 1968, is under arrest. The military committee says he was behind the killing of President Ngouabi which it says was carried out by a “suicide squad” led by a former army captain, Barthelemy Kikadtdi.

Cardinal Biayenda, aged 50, was created Congo’s first cardinal by Pope Paul in 197.3.

At the time, President Ngouabi asked him to express to the Pope “the profound gratitude of the Congolese Government for the particular and positive attention -arising from the development of relations between the church of, Jhe Congo and the Vatican.”-