The Catholic Church has pulled out of a national dialogue in Congo amid a stand-off between the country's president and the opposition.
"Only an inclusive dialogue which respects the constitutional order will provide a framework for resolving our crisis," said Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa of Kisangani, president of the Congolese bishops' conference. "A large part of our fellow citizens will not feel themselves affected by a compromise which fails to obtain real solutions."
The statement was published this week as Congo's main opposition leaders boycotted talks in the capital.
