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What the Pope's visit to the DRC and South Sudan means

Pope Francis is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in his second day in a mission that aims to bring peace in the eastern part of the country where thousands have been killed recently in an ongoing conflict.

This is the first papal visit in the country since 1985 , and schools were closed on Feb. 1 after the government announced it would be a public holiday to allow faithful to attend a holy mass at Ndolo airport. Over 40% of DRC’s 95.6 million population are Catholics.

The last papal visit to Africa was a 2019 seven-day tour of three African countries: Mozambique, Madagascar, and Mauritius.

‘Stop exploiting Africa’

In his first day in Kinshasa on Jan.31, Pope Francis denounced acts by foreign mining companies that have been profiteering while exploiting the country’s natural mineral resources, leaving millions of people in abject poverty, oftentimes causing armed conflict .

“Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa. It is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered,” he said . “It is a tragedy that these lands, and more generally the whole African continent, continue[s] to endure various forms of exploitation.”

He decried the long-lasting economic colonialism and conflict in the country, which he said the international community had for the most part become resigned to. “May violence and hatred no longer find room in the heart or on the lips of anyone, since these are inhuman and unchristian sentiments that arrest development and bring us back to a gloomy past,” the pontiff said .

Pope Francis met with president Felix Tshisekedi, who thanked him for “praying fervently for peace in the eastern region of our nation,” but lamented that it has been three decades of bloodshed in the DRC where civilian security has “been undermined by enemies of peace and terrorist groups, especially from neighboring countries.” Rwanda has been blamed for fanning the war and backing M23 rebels .

On the same day, over 122,000 people, including 65,000 children, were reported to have fled their homes over the course of one day after escalation of the conflict in North Kivu province. “These attacks on civilians need to be investigated,” Amavi Akpamagbo, c ountry d irector of Save the Children in DRC told Quartz.

The P ope also met and paid homage to the victims of the civil strife in Kinshasa.

Despite his initial itinerary including a visit to Goma, and Ituri in the North Kivu province, which are the epicenters of the conflict, the pope changed his itinerary preferring to not put the public expected to gather for his visit, in danger from the armed militia in the region.

He is, however, expected to receive a delegation of emissaries from the region, delivering an appeal for his intervention in the conflict. Just two days before his visit, armed militia carried out a massacre in the region that left at least 15 people dead.

DRC’s LGBTQ community has been hurting

The country’s LGBTQ community, which has been facing violence and excommunication , will also be looking upon the pontiff to proclaim a message of support. Pope Francis said in an interview with the Associated Press on Jan. 26 that “being homosexual isn’t a crime,” and that “we are all children of God, and God loves us as we are.”

After his visit to the country with the highest Catholic population in the continent on Feb.2, Pope Francis will take a three-and-a-half hour flight from Kinshasa to Juba, the capital of the world’s newest state South Sudan. He will be the first pope to visit the oil-rich country.

Pope Francis’ South Sudan trip

Having previously postponed the tour of Africa earlier intended for July 2022, due to ill health, this visit is expected to serve as a push for peace in yet another country that continues to languish in poverty despite possessing numerous mineral and natural resources.

Like in the DRC, thousands of lives have been lost and millions displaced in recent years in South Sudan due to civil unrest, especially in Upper Nile , Jonglei, and Unity states, 12 years after its secession from the larger Sudan.

A civil war pitting President Salva Kiir’s government forces and the opposition Sudan’s People Liberation Army (SPLA) has dampened the country’s hopes for economic development.

The fighting has largely been seen as a political struggle between factions allied to president Kiir’s Dinka ethnic group and supporters of the country’s first vice president, Riek Machar, mostly from the Nuer ethnicity. At the center of it are the vast oil reserves that South Sudan has.

There have also been human rights abuses and the curtailing of press freedom. Six journalists are currently behind bars over footage of the president wetting himself at an official event.

The security situation in the DRC and South Sudan has denied them millions of dollars in foreign investment, holding the countries back from achieving economic freedom.

While Pope Francis’ visit to both countries is by no means expected to be the silver bullet that will silence the guns, it is a critical step in pushing for a peaceful coexistence. But even with such peace efforts, African countries remain less secure than they were a decade ago.

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The World Has Forgotten About the Conflict in South Sudan. Enter Pope Francis

T here was much optimism on the streets of Juda when South Sudan became the world’s newest country in 2011. But the euphoria was short-lived, as the African country descended into civil war and famine. Now, Pope Francis is trying to raise global attention for South Sudan as he begins a three-day trip Friday to the country as part of a “pilgrimage of peace.”

The Pope’s trip, alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshield, is centered around raising awareness about a conflict that has left over 400,000 people dead .

The majority Christian South Sudan broke away from majority Muslim Sudan in 2011, but slipped into civil war two years later. The South Sudanese conflict began with an internal political dispute between President Salva Kiir and then-Vice President Riek Machar, which ballooned into a wider ethnic battle between the former’s Dinka community and the latter’s Nuer ethnic group.

The trip is not the first time Pope Francis has sought to urge peace. In 2019, during a meeting in the Vatican, Francis knelt and kissed the feet of Kiir and Machar. The Pope had been planning to visit South Sudan for years but was delayed by security concerns.

Below, what to know about the Pope’s trip to South Sudan, and his three-day trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo that preceded it.

Why is the Pope in South Sudan?

After a successful visit to the DRC, the pope arrived in Juda, South Sudan, to celebratory crowds. The nation, barely 12 years old, has never welcomed a Western leader on a public visit.

The “three wise men”—as some call Francis, Welby, and Greenshield—were greeted by tens of thousands of people singing and ululating to celebrate the occasion.

Approximately 6 million of South Sudan’s 11 million people are Catholic. In the colonial era, Christian missionaries in Sudan were divided by the Nile river, with Catholics and Anglicans made to preach on opposing sides, according to the New York Times .

Francis was reunited with Kiir, a former rebel who has led the nation since its 2011 independence, and his deputy-turned-rival Machar.

But deadly clashes between cattle herders and militia a day before Pope Francis’ arrival were a reminder of the ongoing conflict. 27 people reportedly died, including five children. Writing on Twitter , Welby called the killings “a story too often heard across South Sudan.”

The country also faces a number of other issues. There are currently over 2.2 million internally displaced people in South Sudan and 2.3 million people have fled the country, according to U.N. statistics. Last year, the country was also found to be the most corrupt in the world by Transparency International .

The country faces a number of investigative reports that show how oil revenue worth billions of dollars have disappeared and officials cannot account for the wealth, according to the New York Times.

While the Pope’s visit wont correct these rife issues, it has promoted global conversations by bringing these two nations back in the spotlight.

Why did the Pope visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

The Democratic Republic of Congo , like South Sudan, has also been grappling with conflict. More than 120 rebel groups have been locked in a conflict with the government for three decades.

The Catholic Church has been a counterweight to the state in DRC. In 2019, clerics who monitored the election that year said the result that saw current President Felix Tshisekedi take office was manipulated.

The country declared a public holiday in anticipation of the rare papal visit—a first in almost four decades. Huge crowds gathered in the capital, Kinshasa, to watch Pope Francis deliver an open-air mass. Around half of the nation’s citizens observe Catholicism, making it Africa’s largest Catholic community.

During his speech, Francis condemned the history of European colonialism and exploitation of Africa’s resources. Minerals play a key role in the ongoing fighting today.

The Vatican’s envoy to the DRC said the Pope’s trip aimed to remind the world not to ignore decades-long conflicts. He was met with applause when he said: “Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa, it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered.”

The nation has also been rife with over 100 armed groups fighting for territorial control or using it as a base to attack neighboring countries such as Angola, Rwanda, and Uganda, Al Jazeera reported .

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Pope Francis to visit two fragile African nations

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Pope Francis in DRC and South Sudan: one of his most challenging visits ever

Professor of Religion and Politics, Director of the Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics, University of St Andrews

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Mario I Aguilar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Pope Francis’ visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its neighbouring state South Sudan comes at a defining moment for his papacy and for the Catholic church worldwide. He has led a period since December 2019 of global reflection known as “ the synodal path ” in which Catholics have been able to speak up about the agenda that the church should pursue. A similar exercise, the Second Vatican Council of 1962-1965, was very successful when it came to involving the whole Catholic church.

Pope Francis is perceived as a progressive pope. He has led the church in opening to the world, including LGBTI communities, though he has failed to convince women that they are really on the same path as men within the Catholic church because they are not part of the priestly ministry and very few women are involved in top leadership roles. His visit to Africa will highlight the intense participation of women within African social communities.

The Catholic church in Africa is thriving and growing – 20% of the world’s Catholics live in Africa . But the African church is more conservative in doctrine and faith than in Europe, thus Pope Francis will have a somewhat harder time advancing his progressive agenda.

Poverty, violence, injustice, corruption, celibacy, the role of women and dialogue with Islam are some of the general themes the pope will cover in his public addresses and meetings. He clearly supports the end of poverty and injustice but he is more conservative regarding the ordination of women and celibacy.

The DRC and Sudan represent the periphery of Africa, where violence and war have been the norm. It is a difficult and challenging visit, much more than his past visits to Kenya and Uganda.

The invitation to the DRC was made by the country’s government and the DRC’s Catholic Bishops Conference. Pope Francis will spend four days in the country and the visit will include a meeting with victims of violence from eastern DRC as well as with NGOs working in the country. He will also meet young people, consecrated religious leaders and clergy, as well as Jesuits working in the DRC.

The DRC, with its Belgian colonial past, represents one of the African countries with more Catholics – 50% of the total population of the country. In the 1960s Pope Paul VI led the African liturgical reform through the Zairian Rite, the Catholic rites with an African flavour, later suspended by Pope John Paul II.

It is also one of the countries where different rebel armies have committed horrific crimes , including mass rape. But the DRC has been home to great theologians and intellectuals as well as a Nobel Prize winner. Dr Denis Mukwege was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018, for his medical work with DRC women who had been raped. Pope Francis wants to support peace initiatives and the search for the common good.

• South Sudan

In his visit to South Sudan, where 40% of the population are Catholic, Pope Francis will be joined by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland. The three will meet with South Sudanese authorities, internally displaced persons and Jesuits. They will also take part in an ecumenical service attended by Christian leaders from different Christian traditions.

The visit to South Sudan provides a continuity and a close relationship between political leaders who have been Christians since the foundation of South Sudan in 2009. Pope Francis has regularly received them at the Vatican and has preached at retreats for them. But this young country has also experienced ethnic violence. Pope Francis wants to provide public support to those leaders who strive for peace.

A difficult task

The pope will have a joyful welcome in both countries but a difficult task. That task is to affirm his belief in peace and understanding and to challenge negative values such as corruption, ethnic violence and violence against women.

It would be important for him to open new avenues for initiatives that would make the Catholic church more African and to foster dialogue with African indigenous religions so as not to make the visit a triumphalist one but an opening to a church closer to African customs and supporting African values – against violence, genocide and ethnic conflict.

Read more: Pope Francis' visit to Africa comes at a defining moment for the Catholic church

This will be one of the most challenging visits abroad by Pope Francis, and a difficult one to Africa because of the violence in the DRC and Sudan. He was in Kenya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic in 2015 with 39 hours of stay in Bangui where he dialogued with Muslim clerics and opened a door to reconciliation with Islam that marked his own papacy. Such initiatives led to later initiatives in Egypt and Iraq. This visit offers new challenges to the Catholic church in Africa and the possibility of a more stable peace in the DRC and Sudan.

Aguilar is the author of the book Pope Francis: Journeys of a Peacemaker

• Colonialism
• Christianity
• Catholic church
• Denis Mukwege
• Pope Francis
• Pope John Paul II
• Peacemaking
• Africa conflict
• Catholic women
• Women and girls
• Catholic Bishop's Conference
• Pope Paul VI
• Second Vatican Council
• Religion in Africa
• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
• African Christianity
• LGBTIQ Africa
• African Catholicism
• Synodal process

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Pope Francis lands in DR Congo, welcomed with joy

By Africanews

Democratic Republic Of Congo

Pope Francis has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo  (DRC) as part of a six-day visit to the African continent that includes a trip to South Sudan .

It is the first time that a pope has visited the DRC since 1985 , a country with a population close to 100 million people, 40 percent of whom are Catholic .

"That he has left home to come to us here is a joy, for me, I see it as a dream come true. We waited for him last year, well even if he said he postponed, I didn’t have much hope anymore, but to see now that it happens, I’m thrilled! I don’t know what else to say but I’m thrilled!", said worshipper  Clémentine Teka .

The Pope is aiming to bring a message of peace to the two countries riven by poverty and conflict .

"When we see a great authority like the pope coming to the Congo , it shows that diplomacy is working and as a Christian, his presence is also as a man of God . I am not a Catholic , but the presence of a man of God in the country is also a blessing. So we can only praise his presence", said Kinshasa resident  Andy Lombi .

During his visit to DRC , the Pope will meet the authorities but also meet victims of violence as well as members of the clergy and charities operating in the country.

Aid groups are hoping Francis’ trip will shine a spotlight on two of the world’s forgotten conflicts and rekindle international attention on some of Africa’s worst humanitarian crises, amid donor fatigue and new aid priorities in Ukraine .

Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend a prayer vigil Tuesday evening at N'dolo airport ahead of a mass on Wednesday morning, which is tipped to draw more than a million faithful.

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Pope Francis Prepares for Long-Awaited Visit to Congo and South Sudan

• By Sabina Castelfranco

Pope Francis is set travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan at the end of the month – a visit the pontiff had earlier been forced to postpone due to health issues.

Pope Francis will visit the DRC from January 31 to February 3 and then spend two days in South Sudan before returning to the Vatican. When the Holy See announced the trip, which was called off due to the pope’s knee ailments last summer, it said the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland would travel with the pope.

The pope will first travel to Kinshasa, where he will meet with the country’s authorities, victims of the conflict in the eastern part of the country and representatives of charitable organizations. Then he will fly to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on February 3.

Kinshasa, a large and impoverished city of more than 10 million people, is getting a face lift ahead of the papal visit. The apostolic nuncio in the DRC, Ettore Balestrero, said a huge effort is being made to ensure security and public order while the pope is in the country. It is the first time a pope has traveled to the country in 37 years and Balestrero said that for many people Pope Francis’ arrival is “a dream come true.”

In an interview with Vatican News, the archbishop said the main purpose of the DRC visit is “to awaken faith in those who do not have it and to strengthen the joy of those who do.” He added that “throughout the country there is an anticipation of receiving a word of consolation and also of healing of the wounds that are still bleeding, especially in the east.”

On Tuesday Pope Francis sent condolences to victims of the bombing of a Pentecostal church in Kasindi in North Kivu province in eastern Congo. Islamic militants claimed responsibility for the attack that killed at least 14 people and injured more than 60. The pope originally planned to visit Goma in North Kivu but as violence continues to ravage parts of the province, that stop was scrapped.

Pope Francis has long desired to travel to predominantly Christian South Sudan but the unstable situation in the country had complicated plans for a visit. A peace deal was signed in the country in 2018, putting an end to a five-year civil war that killed 400,000 people but the nation is still reeling from hunger and violence.

Speaking at the end of Sunday Angelus prayers in Saint Peter’s Square in December, the pope made one more appeal for an end to the violence in South Sudan and asked for prayers for reconciliation.

Pope Francis expressed concern at the news of violent clashes in South Sudan. He prayed for peace and national reconciliation and an end to attacks. He also called for civilians to be respected.

In South Sudan, Pope Francis will meet with internally displaced persons and take part in an ecumenical prayer service at the John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, where he will also celebrate Mass on Sunday before returning to the Vatican.

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Pope begins three-day visit to DRC before travelling on to South Sudan

Francis is the first pope to visit the democratic republic of the congo in nearly 40 years.

Pope Francis arrives in Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photograph: Gregorio Borgia/AP

Pope Francis has begun a three-day trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he is expected to say Mass for hundreds of thousands of people, before he travels on to South Sudan.

He landed on Tuesday afternoon in Kinshasha, the capital of the DRC where a public holiday was declared to mark his arrival. On Wednesday, he will lead Mass at the airport.

Francis is the first pope to visit the DRC in nearly 40 years. The country has a population of roughly 100 million people, nearly half of whom are Catholics.

On Monday, he asked his followers in a tweet to “accompany this journey with their prayers”.

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“Tomorrow I will depart on an apostolic journey to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to the Republic of South Sudan. I greet with affection those beloved peoples who await me,” he said.

The 86-year-old pope was originally meant to make the journey in the middle of last year, but postponed the trip because he was having problems with his knee. On Tuesday, he was in a wheelchair upon arrival.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Pastor Iain Greenshields, president of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, will accompany the pontiff on the second part of his trip, to South Sudan on Friday. They are expected to meet president Salva Kiir and other officials, as well as clergy and bishops, representatives of charities and people displaced by violence.

This is the fifth visit by Francis to Africa since he became pope in 2013, and his 40th trip abroad. The African continent has seen the fastest growth in the number of Catholics in recent years, with the figure now at roughly 200 million.

People on the side of the road wave as Pope Francis departs the N'djili International Airport in Kinshasha. Photograph: Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty

South Sudan – which gained independence in 2011 – has a population of roughly 11 million. The population is predominantly Christian and almost 40 per cent are believed to be Catholic.

Pope Francis has been heavily involved in attempting to bring peace to the country, which experienced a devastating civil war. In 2019, he hosted a retreat for president Salva Kiir, rebel leader Riek Machar, and three other vice-presidents – all Christians – which the Vatican said was a chance for “reflection and prayer” before they were due to set up a unity government together.

Conflict has been raging for decades among dozens of armed groups in eastern DRC, killing millions of people. The violence has recently escalated, preventing a planned stop by Pope Francis there from going ahead.

Though the DRC is rich in minerals, more than 60 per cent of its people were living on less than €2 a day in 2021, according to the World Bank .

Both the DRC and South Sudan are among the six most insecure African countries to live in, according to a new report by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation . “Almost 70 per cent of Africa’s population lives in a country where the security and rule of law environment is worse in 2021 than in 2012, mostly driven by a worsening security situation,” the report said.

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Sally Hayden, a contributor to The Irish Times, reports on Africa

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Map: What countries has Pope Francis visited?

Pope Francis’ trip to the DRC is the first papal visit since John Paul II travelled there in 1985.

Pope Francis is visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Sudan this week.

The 86-year-old leader of the Catholic church will start his trip on Tuesday in the Congolese capital Kinshasa before heading to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on Friday.

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The Vatican’s envoy to the DRC, where Catholics make up about half of the population, has said the trip will remind the world not to ignore decades-long conflicts there.

An estimated 5.7 million people are internally displaced in the DRC and 26 million face severe hunger, largely because of the impact of armed conflict by multiple rebel groups, according to the United Nations.

The trip will be Francis’s 40th abroad since he was elected supreme pontiff in 2013 following the resignation of his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI . Over the course of these trips, the pope has visited 59 countries.

Pope Francis’ trip to the DRC is the first visit by a pope since John Paul II travelled there in 1985 – it was still known as Zaire at the time.

The DRC is the second-largest country in Africa and has a population of some 90 million people. The Church runs about 40 percent of the country’s health facilities and about 6 million children are taught in Catholic schools.

The countries the pope has visited include:

• Brazil: July 2013
• Bolivia: July 2015
• Ecuador: July 2015
• Paraguay: July 2015
• United States: September 2015
• Cuba: September 2015, February 2016
• Mexico: February 2016
• Colombia: September 2017
• Chile: January 2018
• Peru: January 2018
• Panama: January 2019
• Canada: July 2022

• South Korea: August 2014
• Sri Lanka: January 2015
• Philippines: January 2015
• Armenia: June 2016
• Georgia: September 2016
• Azerbaijan: October 2016
• Myanmar: November 2017
• Bangladesh: November 2017
• Thailand: November 2019
• Japan: November 2019
• Kazakhstan: September 2022

• Kenya: November 2015
• Uganda: November 2015
• Central African Republic: November 2015
• Egypt: April 2017
• Morocco: March 2019
• Mozambique: September 2019
• Madagascar: September 2019
• Mauritius: September 2019
• Democratic Republic of Congo: January 2023
• South Sudan: February 2023 (planned)

• Albania: September 2014
• France: November 2014
• Turkey: November 2014
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: June 2015
• Greece: April 2016
• Poland: July 2016
• Sweden: October 2016
• Portugal: May 2017
• Switzerland: June 2018
• Ireland: August 2018
• Estonia: September 2018
• Latvia: September 2018
• Lithuania: September 2018
• Bulgaria: May 2019
• North Macedonia: May 2019
• Romania: May 2019
• Hungary: September 2021
• Slovakia: September 2021
• Cyprus: December 2021
• Greece: December 2021
• Malta: April 2022

Middle East

• Israel: May 2014
• Jordan: May 2014
• Palestine: May 2014
• United Arab Emirates: February 2019
• Iraq: March 2019
• Bahrain: November 2022

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Main Character of the Day

Pope francis performs a high-wire act as he courts followers in africa.

Manuela López Restrepo

Pope Francis waves as he arrives at the N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa. Alexis Huguet/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Pope Francis waves as he arrives at the N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa.

Welcome to a new NPR series where we spotlight the people making headlines — and the stories behind them.

The progressive pontifex is visiting parts of Africa this week, and must fulfill a balancing act that looks towards the expansion of his church and the ideological clashes that are coming up along the way.

Who is he? Someone looking towards the future.

• Pope Francis has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for a four day visit, which will be followed by a trip to South Sudan.
• The 86-year-old Argentinian was cheered on by thousands as he traveled from the airport into the DRC capital of Kinshasa on Tuesday.
• The two African nations with large Catholic populations have faced immense violence, displacement and civil unrest in the past decades, a reality this visit hopes to highlight globally.
• This is the first papal visit to the DRC since 1985 . Nearly half of the 95 million people in the country are Catholic, and it plays an important role in the pope's presence on the continent.

Pope Francis delivers a speech in the garden of the Palace of the Nation during the meeting of the authorities, the civil society and the diplomatic corps in Kinshasa. ARSENE MPIANA/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Pope Francis delivers a speech in the garden of the Palace of the Nation during the meeting of the authorities, the civil society and the diplomatic corps in Kinshasa.

What's the big deal? The pope made headlines last week after giving an interview to the Associated Press in which he decried the criminalization of homosexuality. The move surprised many given the Catholic Church's track record on the issue. (Although he later reiterated that Catholic moral teaching says any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin)

• The pope will be making his journey to South Sudan alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, whom The Guardian reported is already facing criticism from senior Anglican Church leaders in the country for "failing to defend biblical truth."
• But one LGBTQ advocate who advises the Vatican says the pope is committed to shifting the church's relationship with their community.
• The official purpose of the pope's trip is to address violence and congregate with victims, hold masses, and lift spirits. But as numbers for faith goers continue to dwindle in the West, the church also sees Africa as a source for the future of the Catholic population.
• A Gallup poll from 2021 shows that America's Christian majority is on track to end , so visits like these may become more crucial and frequent in the future.

People gather on the side of the road to get a glimpse of Pope Francis as he departs the N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa. GUERCHOM NDEBO/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

People gather on the side of the road to get a glimpse of Pope Francis as he departs the N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa.

What are people saying?

NPR correspondent Emmanuel Akinwotu is following the trip. He spoke to Morning Edition about some of the tension at play.

"The African church is more socially conservative on certain issues, such as around sexuality and divorce. And broadly, the clergy in Africa are not as fond of him, maybe, as they were of the more conservative predecessor, Pope Benedict."

Akinwotu also delved into why the trip matters for the church's numbers.

"This is where the church sees much of its future. 20% of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics are here on the continent, and it's the fastest growing part of the Catholic Church. And as it grows, it's going to have a greater sway on its identity. You know, anyone who's attended mass in the West and here in many parts of Africa knows that Catholicism here usually brings a different energy and sense of spirituality.

People gathering on the side of the road wave as Pope Francis departs the N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa. TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

People gathering on the side of the road wave as Pope Francis departs the N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa.

For his part, the pope is sticking closely to the script, saying in his address in Kinshasa:

"It is a tragedy that these lands, and more generally the whole African continent, continue to endure various forms of exploitation. The poison of greed has smeared its diamonds with blood ...  Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa. It is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered."

The #DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo and #Africa deserve to be respected and listened to. They deserve to find space and receive attention. Stop choking Africa: it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered. May Africa be the protagonist of its own destiny! — Pope Francis (@Pontifex) January 31, 2023

So, what now?

• The pope will continue his journey in the DRC, conducting masses and meeting with various leaders.
• On Friday, he will head to South Sudan, embarking on a similar journey of meeting with leaders and followers.
• Pope Francis continues with his journey of 'synodality', a process that calls for the input and participation of members of the church to speak on issues and reforms they would like to see.
• For more background, read NPR correspondent's Emmanuel Akinwotu's article: Pope Francis is in Democratic Republic of Congo, its first papal visit since 1985
• For more analysis, this Goats and Soda piece by Malaka Gharib in 2019 gives a solid background: Pope Francis comes to Africa with a vision. Will it stick?
• An interview with Juan Carlos Cruz: Pope Francis' LGBTQ comments are not surprising but sincere, gay Vatican adviser says

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Papal Visit “expression of compassion, solidarity with Congolese people”: State Official

By Jude Atemanke

Kinshasa, 24 January, 2023 / 9:50 pm (ACI Africa).

The planned Papal visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) set to begin at the end of this month is an expression of Pope Francis’ thoughtfulness and solidarity with the people of God in the Central African nation, the Minister in charge of Communication and Media in the country has said.

Addressing journalists on Monday, January 23 on preparations for the January 31-February 3 Papal visit, Patrick Muyaya Katembwe said the visit is “historic because it is not common to receive a visit from the Holy Father. The last one was in 1985.”

“For us it is an event that will symbolize many things because you know that the Pope is closely following the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and he regularly speaks about the need for peace,” the DRC government spokesperson said.

He added, “The Holy Father prays for the Congolese people and the fact that he is being received in our country is quite a historic event, but also symbolic because the Pope's visit is also an expression of compassion.”

“It is also an expression of solidarity with the Congolese people who have long been battered by violence,” Minister Muyaya said, and added, “As a government, we are privileged to be here at this time and to organize the visit of the Pontiff.”

On 1 December 2022, officials of the Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Francis’ rescheduled visit would begin in DRC from January 31, and conclude with an “Ecumenical Pilgrimage of Peace in South Sudan”.

The Holy Father had planned to visit the Eastern city of Goma when the trip was officially announced , but that leg of the trip was canceled in the latest schedule that the Vatican released amid insecurity in Eastern DRC.

In his first leg of the two-African-nation trip, the Holy Father will first travel to Kinshasa, where he will meet with the country’s authorities, victims of the conflict in the Eastern part of the country and representatives of charitable organizations, celebrate Holy Mass, meet with young people, Catholic Bishops, and Jesuits in DRC. 

In his January 23 address to journalists, Minister Muyaya said, “We would have loved it if, as was planned a few months ago, the Pope had gone to Goma, because that would have been symbolically strong for the people who live in this area, which is sometimes is wrongly presented as the epicenter of violence.”

“But the simple fact that he is coming to the capital, we consider that it is a way of communing with the Congolese people wherever they are, because you know that the Pope, because of his age, has had some health problems,” the government spokesperson said.

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He further said, “If the Pope cannot come to Goma, Goma will invite itself to Kinshasa to allow this exchange between the Pope and the people directly affected.”

“Kinshasa will be the real capital on that day, where all the Congolese will come from all the provinces, not only to attend the Pope's Mass, but particularly for the people who are directly affected by the violence the Pope will reserve a moment of prayer and compassion for the victims of the various acts of violence,” Minister Muyaya continued. 

Speaking about preparations for the visit, the Minister said that all will be set by January 25 for the arrival of the Holy Father, adding that the various commissions are finalizing their preparations ahead of the visit.

“The Democratic Republic of Congo is known for its sense of hospitality to the Congolese population and reserves, a warm welcome to the Pontiff,” the DRC government spokesperson said.

He added, “When you receive a messenger who brings you a message of peace, support and comfort, you have to welcome him in the best possible way through songs, praises and through participation in all the religious services that are planned.”

“This is the way for the Congolese of today, the contemporaries of today, to write history when the Pope will once again DRC. We must mobilize to ensure that we immortalize this great event for our families and loved ones,” Minister Muyaya told journalists in Kinshasa January 23.

In the program and itinerary that the Vatican unveiled at the beginning of last month, the Holy Father is to realize the “Ecumenical Pilgrimage of Peace” in the world’s youngest nation alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby , and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields , from February 3-5.

When realized, the pastoral trip to the two African countries will mark Pope Francis’ third visit to sub-Saharan Africa and the first-ever Papal visit to South Sudan.

• Catholic News ,
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• Pope Francis ,
• Patrick Muyaya Katembwe ,

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.

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Holy Year or holy mess, Vatican and Rome begin dash to 2025 Jubilee with papal bull, construction

The Vatican has crossed a key milestone in the runup to its 2025 Jubilee with the promulgation of the official decree establishing the Holy Year

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican crossed a key milestone Thursday in the runup to its 2025 Jubilee with the promulgation of the official decree establishing the Holy Year. It's a once-every-quarter-century event that is expected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to Rome and has already brought months of headaches to Romans.

Pope Francis presided over a ceremony in the atrium of St. Peter’s Basilica for the reading of the papal bull, or official edict, that laid out his vision for a year of hope: He asked for gestures of solidarity for the poor, prisoners, migrants and Mother Nature.

“Hope is needed by God’s creation, gravely damaged and disfigured by human selfishness,” Francis said in a vigil service afterward. “Hope is needed by those peoples and nations who look to the future with anxiety and fear.”

The pomp-filled event, attended by cardinals, bishops and ordinary faithful, kicked off the final seven-month dash of preparations and public works projects to be completed by Dec. 24, when Francis opens the basilica’s Holy Door and formally inaugurates the Jubilee.

In a novelty, Francis announced in the papal bull that he would also open a Holy Door in a prison "as a sign inviting prisoners to look to the future with hope and a renewed sense of confidence."

For the Vatican, the Holy Year is a centuries-old tradition of the faithful making pilgrimages to Rome to visit the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul, and receiving indulgences for the forgiveness of their sins in the process. For the city of Rome, it’s a chance to take advantage of some 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) in public funds to carry out long-delayed projects to lift the city out of years of decay and neglect.

“In a beautiful city, you live better,” said the Vatican’s Jubilee point-person, Archbishop Renato Fisichella, who himself is not indifferent to the added bonus of Jubilee funding. “Rome will become an even more beautiful city, because it will be ever more at the service of its people, pilgrims and tourists who will come.”

Pope Boniface VIII declared the first Holy Year in 1300, and now they are held every 25 years. While Francis called an interim one devoted to mercy in 2015, the 2025 edition is the first big one since St. John Paul II’s 2000 Jubilee, when he ushered the Catholic Church into the third millennium.

As occurred in the runup to 2000, pre-Jubilee public works projects have overwhelmed Rome, with flood-lit construction sites operating around the clock, entire swaths of central boulevards rerouted and traffic snarling the city's already clogged streets.

The Tiber riverfront for much of the city center is now off limits as work crews create new parks. Piazzas are being repaved, bike paths charted and 5G cells built. The aim is to bring the Eternal City up to par with other European capitals and take advantage of the 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in special Jubilee funding and some 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) more in other public and post-pandemic EU funds that are available.

“It's really putting our patience to the test,” said Tiziana Cafini, who operates a tobacco shop near the Pantheon and says she has taken to walking to work rather than riding a bus into the city center because it gets stuck in traffic. “And it's not just in the center. There are an infinite number of construction sites all around Rome.”

Though she knows the discomfort will be worth it in the end, the end is still pretty far off. In addition to the Jubilee construction, there's a longer-term, separate project to extend Rome’s Metro C subway line into Rome’s historic center which has encountered years of delays thanks to archaeological excavations of ancient Roman ruins that must be completed first.

For the next four years at least, central Piazza Venezia and its Imperial Forum-flanked boulevard to the Colosseum are scheduled to be congested and blighted by giant, 14-meter (yard) high green silos that are needed for the subway drilling operation.

“We're upset, but we're Romans, we'll make do,” Cafini said.

Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said recently he was satisfied with the pace of the Jubilee works so far, noting that they got off to a months-delayed start due to the 2022 collapse of Premier Mario Dragi’s government.

But Gualtieri promised they would be completed on time. And in a nod to Romans and tourists who have suffered from the traffic chaos and acute shortage of taxis already, he promised that an extra 1,000 taxi licenses had been approved and would be in use by December.

Yet as of late last month, only two of the 231 city projects had been completed; 57 were under way and another 44 were expected to be started by the end of May, Gualtieri told reporters. Another 18 are up for bids, seven have been assigned, 90 are planned. Thirteen have been canceled.

“We have recovered a lot from the initial delay,” Gualtieri told the foreign press association, adding that he expected the “essential” projects to be completed on time. Other projects were always planned to take longer than the Jubilee but were lumped into the overall project to take advantage of the accelerated timeframe.

The most significant project, and one that has caused the greatest traffic disruption to date, is a new Vatican-area piazza and pedestrian zone connecting Castel St. Angelo with the Via della Conciliazione boulevard that leads to St. Peter’s Square.

Previously, a major thoroughfare divided the two landmarks, causing an unsightly and pedestrian-unfriendly barrier.

The new works call for a tunnel to divert the oncoming traffic underneath the new pedestrian piazza. But that project required re-routing and replacing a huge underground sewage system first, which has only recently been completed. Now crews are working through the night to try to complete the tunnel in time.

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Pope mourns victims of attack on refugee camp in DR Congo

By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis said he is close to those affected by a deadly attack on the Mugunga refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo and he exhorted political leaders to work in the service of peace and fraternity.

The Pope‘s concern and invitation to seek peace and reconciliation came as he learnt of the death of at least fourteen people, most of them children, who were killed on Friday, 3 May, following an explosion or explosions at a camp for displaced persons in the eastern Congolese city of Goma.

At least 35 others were reportedly wounded in the attack, blamed by a DRC government spokesman, on M23 rebels.

In a telegram addressed to the Bishop of Goma, Willy Nugumbi Ngengele, and signed on his behalf by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope said he learned with sorrow of "the cowardly attack perpetrated in the refugee camp of Mugunga“ in DR Congo.

Expressing his closeness to all those "affected by this act of blind hatred which has not spared many children,“ the Holy Father said he "supports the injured and the grieving families with his prayers, and prays for the repose of all those who lost their lives.“

He voiced firm condemnation for "any act of violence to resolve conflicts,  violence - he said - of which the poorest and most deprived are always the first victims“ and he invited the Congolese people to keep hope alive.

The Pope concluded with an invitation to political actors "to work resolutely in the service of peace and fraternity.“

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