OXFORD, England -- Catholic leaders in Congo have gathered more than 1.5 million signatures on a petition that demands local elections to curb corruption and strengthen democracy.

KINSHASA, Congo – Some Catholic bishops from Congo have endorsed the disputed election of Felix Tshisekedi as president, despite continuing criticisms from other church leaders.

Who really won the election in Congo matters immensely to the Congolese people, but it also matters to Canada’s Catholic development agency, which spent the last three years helping ordinary Congolese get ready to vote.

KINSHASA – Catholic church leaders in Congo have questioned the official outcome of the Dec. 30 elections, saying the officially published results "do not correspond with the data collected" by the church's 40,000 observers.

OTTAWA – There is no room for fear in the life of Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo.

OXFORD, England – The Catholic Church in Congo said emergency measures will remain indefinitely in place in parishes at risk of Ebola, and urged effective action against the disease by the government of President Joseph Kabila.

OTTAWA – Bishops from the Democratic Republic of the Congo are making a direct appeal to the government and people of Canada to put pressure on the Kabila government to respect the constitution and hold elections.

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo – Four Congolese protesters were shot dead Feb. 25, during demonstrations organized by Catholics protesting President Joseph Kabila’s refusal to step down from power.

VATICAN – Pope Francis' call for a day of prayer and fasting for peace in war-torn countries like South Sudan and Congo is also a reminder for world leaders to protect their countrymen from violence and injustice, a Vatican official said.

WASHINGTON – Just as people are "struggling to survive" in Congo, aid agencies are struggling to meet their needs, said one aid worker.

BANGUI, Central African Republic - Catholic priests whose villages have been attacked have taken to Facebook to express outrage and appeal for help.

(RNS) — The abduction of two Catholic priests in Congo is raising concern over the number of hostages held by local militias in the troubled country.

ARU, Congo – Armed men kidnapped two Catholic priests in the troubled North Kivu province.

KINSHASA, Congo – Catholic bishops in Congo accused their government of suppressing civil liberties and demanded free elections envisaged under a church-brokered New Year accord.

RIIMENZE, South Sudan – Violence near South Sudan's border with Congo has driven 6,000 people from the countryside to shelter in the shadows of the village church, where some have been surviving on mangoes.