Launch at Notre-Dame du Rosaire
Pointe-Noire’s modest Notre-Dame du Rosaire hall filled early on 30 October 2025 as clergy, academics and lay readers queued for the launch of Father Paulin Poucouta’s latest work, “The Gospel of Luke: Guide for the Jubilee Year,” published by local house LMI.
Praise from Archbishop Abel Liluala
Presiding over the ceremony, Archbishop Abel Liluala praised the book’s plain language, saying its clarity will help congregations “hear the Gospel with fresh ears.” Beside him stood the author, joined by Fathers Georges Loemba-Ndende, Hirôlvi De-Pratt and Maurice Loubouakou.
A Compact Guide for the Holy Year
At just 106 pages, the volume opens the “Advance au large” collection and targets catechists, community animators and students seeking a concise roadmap to the Holy Year announced by Pope Francis. The author calls it a “little booklet for the People of God in everyday language.”
Jubilee 2025 and Luke’s Message
Jubilee Years punctuate Catholic history every quarter-century, inviting repentance, pilgrimage and acts of mercy. For 2025, Rome has chosen the motto “Pilgrims of Hope”. Father Poucouta argues Luke is the evangelist best suited to that theme because his Gospel highlights healing, forgiveness and inclusion.
Nazareth’s “Year of Favor” Revisited
The priest notes that Luke alone records Jesus proclaiming “a year of the Lord’s favor” in Nazareth, an Old Testament reference to the jubilee of Leviticus. “Who better to accompany us on this march of hope?” he asked, drawing nods from the packed sanctuary.
Clarity and Pedagogy at Work
Critic and moderator Father Loemba-Ndende underlined the text’s pedagogical tone by quoting Buffon’s maxim, “Style is the man.” He insisted the book’s transparent structure, short chapters and guiding questions make it suitable for parish workshops preparing faithful for confession, charity drives and pilgrimage.
Addressing Congo’s Social Wounds
Speakers did not shy from naming the social ills they hope the Jubilee can address: juvenile delinquency, violence and corruption have frayed communal bonds in Congo’s fast-growing cities. Poucouta linked those trends to Isaiah 59, where sin erects a wall “that hides God’s face.”
Rediscovering Mercy Through Parables
By revisiting Luke’s parables of the lost sheep, the prodigal son and Zacchaeus, the author believes believers can rediscover mercy at both personal and national scale. “The Jubilee is a summons to rebuild trust,” he said, echoing Pope Francis’s call for social friendship.
From Seminary to Bestseller
Ordained on 9 July 1978, Poucouta earned doctorates in biblical theology and comparative religion before teaching at the Catholic University of Yaoundé and Brazzaville’s major seminary. He later edited Spiritus review. His earlier titles include “When God’s Word Visits Africa” and “Multiple Readings of Scripture.”
Storyteller Among Scholars
Colleagues describe him as a bridge between scholarship and grassroots ministry. Archbishop Liluala recalled pastoral visits where the priest unpacked complex exegetical debates “with the simplicity of a village storyteller,” turning dusty commentaries into concrete invitations to feed the hungry or tutor schoolchildren.
LMI Backs Local Theology
Director Maurice Loubouakou said the Pointe-Noire-based imprint LMI launched the “Avance au large” series to showcase local theological voices. Print runs remain modest, yet demand is steady as congregations prepare study circles. “We rely on word-of-mouth,” he noted, “and parishes are our best distributors.”
First Reactions from Religious Orders
Early readers such as Sister Clarisse Mabiala of the Daughters of Mary say the guide’s question-and-answer format demystifies indulgences and pilgrimage requirements. “Our novices grasp the link between social outreach and liturgy,” she explained, predicting the manual will appear beside hymnals during Lenten retreats.
A Trilogy in the Making
Father Poucouta is already drafting companion booklets on Matthew, John and the Acts of the Apostles, aiming to complete the quartet before diocesan synods convene in early 2026. Each text will, he pledges, keep the same pocket-size format and focus on practical application.
Regional Demand Across Central Africa
Across Central Africa, parishes from Douala to Libreville are ordering copies, according to LMI, suggesting a regional appetite for materials rooted in African scholarship. The trend mirrors Pope Francis’s encouragement for local churches to “speak their own cultural language while remaining fully Catholic.”
Publishing Boosts Local Economy
Religious publishing’s quiet boom also offers jobs for Congolese printers and designers. Pointe-Noire’s small presses, once dependent on corporate reports, now dedicate machines to catechetical tracts. “Faith titles keep the lights on between big commercial contracts,” press operator Jean-Pierre Maboungou acknowledged with a grin.
Guidebook for Diocesan Action
As Congo’s dioceses lay out Jubilee calendars—open-air masses, prison visits, tree-planting drives—the slim Luke guide may become their common reference. Its emphasis on mercy and tangible charity aligns with national efforts to promote social cohesion, a priority highlighted in recent pastoral letters.
Hope Across Urban and Rural Congo
Whether read in bustling Pointe-Noire or remote Sangha villages, “The Gospel of Luke: Guide for the Jubilee Year” invites Congolese Christians to enter 2025 with hope, humility and a practical plan for renewal. In Father Poucouta’s words, “The Word becomes life only when shared.”
Scripture Remains the Centerpiece
Poucouta cautions that the booklet is no substitute for Scripture, calling it merely “a compass.” He invites families to leave Luke’s Gospel on the dinner table and read a passage together each Sunday.