Fix International Pope Francis no longer strangles Africa…

Pope Francis: “Stop strangling Africa” ​​(comprehensive)
Accused of ‘resource colonialism’… African tour begins in Democratic Congo
Tomorrow’s Ndolo Airport Mass… Expected to attract 2 million people
Interviews with victims in the eastern region… Heading to Juba, South Sudan on the 3rd of next month

On the 31st (local time), Pope Francis visited Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Democratic Congo), and denounced so-called ‘resource colonialism’, saying, “Do not strangle Africa anymore.”

“It is a tragedy that the African continent continues to be subjected to various forms of exploitation,” the Pope said in a speech to government officials, civic groups and diplomatic corps at the Presidential Palace in Kinshasa on the afternoon of the same day, the Associated Press, Reuters, and AFP reported.

Pope Francis specifically referred to Democratic Congo as “the poison of greed has stained diamonds with blood.”

“Get your hands off Democratic Congo! Get your hands off Africa! Stop strangling Africa!”, he emphasized, “Africa is not a mine to be taken away or an area to be plundered.”

The Reuters news agency said the pope condemned “an appalling form of exploitation against humanity” in Democratic Congo, where vast mineral resources have fueled war, refugees and hunger.

The pope’s visit to the Democratic Congo is the first in 38 years since the visit of Pope John Paul II to Zaire in 1985.

Pope Francis plans to deliver a message of peace to Democratic Congo and South Sudan, which are still plagued by poverty and conflict, one by one, for six days and five nights until the 5th of next month.

According to the influential local media, Aktualite, the Pope’s plane landed at Ndjili Airport near Kinshasa at 2:30 pm on the same day after a flight of 6 hours and 50 minutes.

Suffering from chronic knee pain, the Pope got off the plane in a wheelchair.

A huge crowd of people greeted the Pope at the airport, along with Prime Minister Jean-Michel Samar Luconde and Bishop Ettore Balestrero.

The Pope traveled 25 km in a private car to attend the welcoming ceremony hosted by President Felix Chisekedi in Kinshasa, and then met with President Chisekedi, government officials and the diplomatic corps.

Posters and banners with the Pope’s portrait were hung all over the city, and citizens were seen waving and welcoming from the rooftops of buildings along the roads along which the Pope’s vehicle was moving.

On the following day, February 1, Pope Francis will celebrate a large-scale Mass at Ndolo Airport.

The Associated Press reported that close to 2 million people, including Catholics from all over Africa, are expected to gather here.

According to official Vatican statistics, the proportion of Catholics in Democratic Congo is 49% of the total population of more than 100 million, making it the country with the most Catholics in Africa.

After the Mass, they will meet with victims in the eastern region, which have been damaged by repeated skirmishes between rebels and government forces.

“I wanted to go to Goma, but because of the war, I couldn’t,” Pope Francis said earlier, referring to the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Congo, meeting with reporters on board a flight to Kinshasa.

The Pope’s trip to Africa was originally scheduled for July last year, but was postponed once to treat the pope’s knee pain.

Cho Jae-chul, the ambassador to the Republic of Congo, said, “When I was promoting the visit in July last year, I was planning to visit the eastern city of Goma, but this time, the situation in the eastern region is not good, so all the schedules will be held in Kinshasa.”

In the mineral-rich eastern region, more than 70 armed groups are active, including the Democratic Military Alliance (ADF), M23 rebels, and the Malaika militia.

In a speech at the New Year’s celebration with the diplomatic corps the previous day, President Chisekedi said of the Pope’s visit, “It is a visit to express sympathy and sympathy for the people of the eastern region suffering from rebel activities and the resulting unstable security situation.”

On the morning of the 2nd, Pope Francis will give a public speech to young people and evangelists from Democratic Congo at the Martyrs Stadium, and will meet with priests, monks, seminarians, Jesuits, and bishops.

On the morning of the 3rd, the pope will wrap up his itinerary in the Democratic Congo with a farewell ceremony in Njili and leave for Juba, South Sudan, the second country of his trip.

The Pope’s visit to Africa is the first apostolic tour of the new year, about three years after his apostolic visits to Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius in September 2019.

/yunhap news