More than a million people, according to the authorities, gathered this Wednesday (1st) in Kinshasa to attend a mass by Pope Francis, on the second day of his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Upon arriving at N’dolo airport, in the Congolese capital, where the open-air mass was organized, the Argentine pope greeted the crowd from his popemobile that cheered him with flags and traditional songs, in a festive atmosphere, but with great security measures .
Tens of thousands of worshipers began arriving on Tuesday night for an all-night vigil.
“When the pope (John Paul II) came for the first time, he made history. I was 15 years old, today I’m 55, so attending a first papal mass is very important”, said Adrien Louka, who arrived at dawn.
“As our country has many problems, we seek reconciliation and the pope will leave a message for the countries around us to leave us alone,” added this man, dressed in a colorful shirt with the logo of the papal visit.
“The war will stop (…) thanks to the pope’s prayer,” said Eulalie Nzinga, a 63-year-old civil servant who also came at dawn to find a place at the ceremony.
“I’m sick, but I know that since the pope is here, everything will be fine,” she said, standing next to her 13-year-old granddaughter.
In his homily in Italian, translated into French, the pontiff first wished peace to the faithful in Lingala, one of the four official languages of the DRC. He then exhorted them to “not give in to divisions” in the face of “wounds” in the country.
– “Economic colonialism” –
Francis arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Africa’s largest Catholic country, on Tuesday for the first leg of a six-day tour of the continent, which will also include South Sudan.
In a speech to politicians and officials at the presidential palace in Kinshasa, Francis on Tuesday denounced “economic colonialism” which, according to him, has done great harm to the country.
“This country, abundantly depredated, is not able to make sufficient use of its immense resources”, he expressed to applause.
Despite its vast mineral reserves, the DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world, with nearly two-thirds of its population living on less than $2.15 a day, according to the World Bank.
Francis is also due to meet in Kinshasa with victims of the conflict in eastern Congo on Wednesday after Mass.
The troubled east of the DRC is plagued by dozens of armed groups. Since the end of 2021, M23 rebels have taken parts of the eastern territory of North Kivu province.
At the end of the day, the pope will deliver his third and final speech of the day, in the presence of representatives of charities. On Friday, he will travel to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, where he will make an appeal for peace in the conflicted country.
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