Simon Kimbangu Kiangani awarded honorary medal by Congo President

Denis Sassou N’Guesso, President of the Republic of the Congo, has awarded an honorary medal to Simon Kimbangu Kiangani, the spiritual leader and legal representative of the Kimbanguist Church. The distinction recognizes Kiangani’s commitment to peace.

The award process involved a two-stage ceremony. On August 16, the medal was received in Brazzaville by Reverend Pastor Brice Voltaire Etou Obami, the delegated president of the Kimbanguist Church's national executive college in the Republic of the Congo. It was then passed to Armel Etou Alali, the movement's chancellor of orders.

On August 26, the medal was officially presented to Kiangani in Nkamba, referred to by followers as ‘New Jerusalem,’ during a ceremony organized under the chancellor's auspices. For Kimbanguist followers, the recognition of their spiritual leader by a political authority carries significant religious resonance.