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Pope Urges Democratic Congo Youth to Build a Better Future

“You are part of a great history…don’t give in to evil”
65,000 people went wild with dance and cheers… Local priests also encouraged

On the 2nd (local time), Pope Francis, who is on a tour of Africa, urged young people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) suffering from conflict and poverty to work to create a better future.

“As part of a greater history, you must play an active role for a more united world,” the pope said at the Stade des Martyrs on the outskirts of Kinshasa, the capital of Democratic Congo.

At the same time, he emphasized, “Never succumb to evil,” and “Never give in to the temptation of corruption, which is fascinating and poisonous,” the AP and AFP reported.

At the Martyrs Stadium, which can accommodate 80,000 people, the organizers estimated 65,000 young people gathered and enthusiastically responded to the pope’s speech with dances and shouts.

Particularly loud cheers were heard when the pope condemned “cancer of corruption.”

Before Pope Francis’ speech, African girls dressed in traditional costumes and performed traditional dances.

According to United Nations statistics, more than two-thirds of the Democratic Congo’s population of over 100 million are under the age of 25.

Pope urges young people in Democratic Congo to 'create a better future' (comprehensive)

In the afternoon, the Pope met with priests, monks, and seminarians active in Democratic Congo, where Africa’s largest priesthood is dispatched, and had a prayer meeting at the Kinshasa Cathedral.

In the evening, they meet with Jesuits at the Vatican Embassy in Congo.

On the 31st of last month, Pope Francis visited the Democratic Congo for the first time in 38 years since Pope John Paul II in 1985.

The previous day, a large outdoor mass was held in Kinshasa’s Ndolo Panic, where one million people gathered, calling for forgiveness and reconciliation to end the conflict.

Pope urges young people in Democratic Congo to 'create a better future' (comprehensive)

In the afternoon of the same day, at the Vatican Embassy in Congo, we met with victims in the eastern provinces affected by repeated skirmishes between rebels and government forces and heard their stories of horrific violence.

Pope Francis comforted the victims by saying, “Your tears are my tears and your pain is my pain.”

At the same time, foreign media such as AP and AFP reported that he urged armed groups to lay down their arms, blaming all conflicts for greed.

Violence continued in Democratic Congo in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which Hutus killed 800,000 people, including minority Tutsi and moderate Hutu.

In particular, in the mineral-rich eastern region, the situation is unstable due to the activities of more than 70 armed groups, including the Tutsi rebel M23, the Democratic Military Alliance (ADF), and the Malaika militia, resulting in civilian casualties and human rights violations.

According to the United Nations, 570,000 people have been displaced from these armed conflicts, and 26 million are suffering from starvation.

Pope Francis will finish his itinerary in Democratic Congo with an airport farewell ceremony on the morning of the 3rd and leave for Juba, South Sudan, another country suffering from conflict and poverty.

/yunhap news

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