The Most Famous
RELIGIOUS FIGURES from Democratic Republic of the Congo
This page contains a list of the greatest Congolese Religious Figures. The pantheon dataset contains 2,238 Religious Figures, 3 of which were born in Democratic Republic of the Congo. This makes Democratic Republic of the Congo the birth place of the 73rd most number of Religious Figures behind Thailand and Albania.
Top 3
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Congolese Religious Figures of all time. This list of famous Congolese Religious Figures is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Simon Kimbangu (1887 - 1951)
With an HPI of 55.18, Simon Kimbangu is the most famous Congolese Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages on wikipedia.
Simon Kimbangu (September 12, 1887 – October 12, 1951) was a Congolese religious leader who founded the Christian new religious movement Kimbanguism. Kimbanguists consider him to be an incarnation of the Holy Spirit.
2. Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya (1939 - 2021)
With an HPI of 50.98, Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya is the 2nd most famous Congolese Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya (7 October 1939 – 11 July 2021) was a Congolese prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the Archbishop of Kinshasa from 2007 to 2018. He became a cardinal in 2010. He was widely recognized as a champion of peace, dialogue, and human rights.
3. Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (1960 - )
With an HPI of 43.01, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu is the 3rd most famous Congolese Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, OFM Cap. (born 24 January 1960) is a Congolese prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as Archbishop of Kinshasa since 2018. He was previously Bishop of Bokungu-Ikela from 2004 to 2016, Apostolic Administrator of Kole from 2008 to 2015, Archbishop of Mbandaka-Bikoro from 2016 to 2018, Apostolic Administrator of Bokungu-Ikela from 2016 to 2018, and Coadjutor Archbishop of Kinshasa in 2018. He served as a parish priest and as a professor before his episcopal career and since being a bishop has been a leading voice among his conferees for national peace. He is also a professed member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Pope Francis raised him to the rank of cardinal on 5 October 2019. He is a member of the Council of Cardinals.
Pantheon has 3 people classified as religious figures born between 1887 and 1960. Of these 3, 1 (33.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living religious figures include Fridolin Ambongo Besungu. The most famous deceased religious figures include Simon Kimbangu and Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya. As of April 2022, 1 new religious figures have been added to Pantheon including Fridolin Ambongo Besungu.
