Speaking to Church Center staff during a January 23 briefing, Dirokpa described some of the challenges facing the country as a result of the civil war and ethnic strife that has claimed four million lives since 1994 and is largely recognized as the bloodiest conflict since World War II.

He acknowledged the increasing number of AIDS infections and rape cases, but commended the efforts of the Mothers' Union in working with women to alleviate the problems. "There are all sorts of other diseases and there are no doctors," he said. "Even where there may be a hospital, there are no medications."

Another problem is tribalism, Dirokpa said, an area in which the church is working hard to achieve peace and reconciliation.

But perhaps most challenging of all, he said, is the repatriation of refugees who are flooding the East of the country, since many people are returning because of signs of increased political stability since the 2006 multi-party elections. "After five or six years they don't have a house, field or any way to support themselves," Dirokpa explained. "So they drop people into the villages and they have food for about three weeks, but that's all."

"Refugees also have no clothes to wear and they come to church thinking that is where the solutions are, but we do not have the means of answering these problems," said Dirokpa , who was enthroned as Congo's second Anglican Archbishop in 2003.

Ordained to the diaconate in 1980, to the priesthood in 1981, and consecrated as Bishop of the Diocese of Bukavu in 1982, Dirokpa has lived through decades of instability and civil unrest in the Congo.

Episcopal Relief and Development has worked with the Diocese of Katanga to combat malaria and HIV/AIDS in the region and the Episcopal Church has provided financial support in urgent situations throughout the war. The Office of Anglican and Global Relations sends regular appropriations to the province and the United Thank Offering has provided several grants throughout the years.

"The Episcopal Church has been very generous in moments of crisis and relief, but now we are looking for ways to do development," Dirokpa said. "The church is growing. We preach the Gospel and the numbers grow. There are many baptisms, many confirmations."

But he bemoaned the lack of resources in the Congo that prevents the church from being financially independent and self-supporting.

He noted that many of the church's pastors and bishops survive without a salary and that in many cases they live with the offerings from Sunday morning worship. "There might be 300 or 400 people in church, but the offerings are sometimes less than $5, so the pastors sometimes live off $2 or $3 per month," said Fidèle, who doesn't own a car and depends on public transport -- which is often unreliable and overflowing with people and merchandise.

"We still work with the hand of God and that is what keeps us going," he said.

Some parishes in the Congo stretch for distances of 200 kilometers (124 miles) or more, Fidèle explained, which causes difficulties for clergy who are expected to travel throughout the region supporting the parishioners and visiting the chapels.

"Sometimes they have to walk for two days to get somewhere," Dirokpa said. "But they do it with joy."

The Anglican presence in the Congo, formerly known as Zaire, was established by Ugandan evangelist Apolo Kivebulaya in 1896. Following independence in 1960, the church expanded and formed dioceses as part of the Province of Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and Boa-Zaire. The new Province was inaugurated in 1992 and changed its name in 1997.

Last year, the Congo held democratic elections for the first time since the country's independence. "We hope things will begin to work better," Dirokpa said, noting that the Congo now has the youngest president in the world, who is in his 30s, and the oldest prime minister, who is 82. "We have the grandfather and the child," he said.

Fidèle explained that the Congo is a nation endowed with vast potential wealth, but includes some of the poorest people in the world. "It means that corruption has become official," he said, acknowledging that everyone seems to operate in a system of survival.

"We don't know how this is going to end, but we have some hope because the new president has said he will struggle against corruption," he said.

"Many young girls are already married at 14 because they have nothing else to do as their parents cannot afford to send them to school," he added. "The church has a role to play in this reconciliation. We will continue to be active."

Affirming the ongoing relationships between the Anglican Church of Congo and the Episcopal Church, Dirokpa said, "We are not for division, we are for discussion and sharing ideas."

He explained that his province had previously released a statement in response to the Episcopal Church that "upholds biblical truth." But, he said, "if we have a brother here in America who is willing to help our people, I as archbishop cannot let people die. We will continue to collaborate with the Episcopal Church, especially around the issues of development."

He acknowledged that he looks forward to sitting at the table with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori for the February 15-19 Primates Meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, despite indications from some African Primates that they would boycott the meeting because of her presence.

Dirokpa also stressed that anything is possible with God. "In the history of the church there have always been difficult moments and good moments and God has always given us the solution to compromise," he said. "That is our point of view. We continue to pray."