In a statement for the December 28 general election, the bishops of the Central African Republic said that “it is our sacred duty not to leave future generations a burden of endless crises, unrest, and chaos, but a true paradise of peace and prosperity.”
The bishops described the nation as a “work in progress” because of “challenges in the areas of health, education, security, promoting civic engagement, respecting human dignity and a culture of human rights, as well as combating exclusive ethnocentrism, nepotism, corruption, mismanagement, and the misappropriation of public funds.”
The nation of 5.7 million (map) is 76% Christian (44% Catholic), 14% Muslim, and 10% ethnic religionist. Pope Francis made an apostolic journey there in 2015.