Pierre Marini Bodho (born 30 March 1938, in Zeu, Ituri), was the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Christ in Congo and former

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...

of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Marini holds a doctorate in theology from the ''Faculté Libre de Théologie Protestante de Paris'', and other degrees in theology, comparative law, and secondary education.

National role

Following the end of the

Second Congo War The Second Congo War,, group=lower-alpha also known as the Great War of Africa or the Great African War and sometimes referred to as the African World War, began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 1998, little more than a year a ...

, transitional institutions were established, composed of the former warring parties, as well as representatives of the non-belligerent opposition, and representatives of the civil society. Consequently, from 2003 to 2007, as a reasonably neutral and consensual figure, and as a representative of the organized religion section of the civil society, Marini also served as the President of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, the upper house of the Congolese Parliament. In 2006, he blessed the marriage of the then president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila.

References

1938 births Living people People from Ituri Province Democratic Republic of the Congo Protestants Presidents of the Senate (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Democratic Republic of the Congo bishops Presiding bishops {{bishop-stub