Pope Francis landed in the Democratic Republic of Congo Tuesday, hailing his "beautiful trip" to Africa as he comes bearing a message of peace to the
conflict-torn nation and its troubled neighbour South Sudan."We've been waiting for a year, it's a beautiful trip,"
the 86-year-old pontiff told journalists travelling with him.
Francis has embarked on his fifth visit to Africa, starting with
the Democratic Republic of Congo and will later proceed to South Sudan. He is
expected to plead for peace in the two countries, both wracked by decades of
stubborn conflict.
Large crowds of well-wishers gathered at Kinshasa's Ndjili
airport, about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the centre, to greet the
Argentine pontiff, whose plane touched down at 2:35pm local time (1:45pm GMT).
It is the first time since 1985 that a pope has visited DRC, a
country of close to 100 million people, 40 percent of whom are Catholic.
The six-day trip to DRC and South Sudan had been planned for July
2022, but was postponed due to the pontiff's knee pain that has forced him to
use a wheelchair in recent months.
He boarded the plane in Rome via an elevator.
Scouts wait for the arrival of Pope Francis outside the N'djili
International Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo on January 31,
2023. PHOTO | GUERCHOM NDEBO | AFP
No visit
to Goma
Security concerns were also said to play a role in delaying the
trip, and a stop in Goma in DR Congo's east, where dozens of armed groups
operate, is no longer on the itinerary.
"I would have liked to go to Goma too, but with the war, you
can't go there," the pope told reporters on the plane.
On Sunday, he had offered his greetings "with affection to
those beloved peoples who await me".
"These lands, situated in the centre of the great African
continent, have suffered greatly from lengthy conflicts," he said after
his Angelus prayer at the Vatican.
He lamented "armed clashes and exploitation" in DR
Congo, and said South Sudan, "wracked by years of war, longs for an end to
the constant violence".
As the papal plane flew over the Sahara, the pope held a prayer
for "all the people who, searching for a little well-being, a bit of
freedom, crossed (the desert) and didn't make it".
He recalled how many people arrive in north Africa hoping to cross the Mediterranean into Europe, only to find themselves "taken to camps, and suffering there. Let us pray for all those people".
Pope Francis alights from his plane at the N'djili I
nternational Airport in Kinshasa in DRC on January 31, 2023. He hailed his beautiful trip to Africa as he comes bearing a message of peace to the conflict-torn nation. PHOTO | ALEXIS HUGUET | AFP
Victims of
violence
Despite its vast mineral wealth, some two-thirds of DRC's
population live on less than $2.15 a day, while violence plagues the eastern
provinces.
The Tutsi-led armed group M23, which Kinshasa alleges is backed by
neighbouring Rwanda, has been conquering large swaths of territory in North
Kivu province.
The region has also seen a wave of deadly attacks blamed on the
Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group the Islamic State claims as an
affiliate, including a bomb blast at a Pentecostal church this month that
killed 14 people.
Welcome
ceremony
Following a welcome ceremony at the Kinshasa airport, Francis will
be received at the presidential palace by President Felix Tshisekedi.
The Argentine pontiff will then make his first of a dozen speeches
during the trip, addressing authorities, the diplomatic corps, and
representatives of civil society.
"He can deliver a strong message to politicians by addressing
the issue of corruption" ahead of a general election scheduled for
December, said Samuel Pommeret with Catholic humanitarian group CCFD-Terre
Solidaire, which operates in the area.
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.
Papal memorabilia was already selling well in Kinshasa in the
run-up to the visit, with Elisabeth Akwete, 66, among those buying a calendar
bearing the image of Francis.
"It's a joy to have the image of the head of the Church at
home," she told AFP.
During his visit to DRC, the pope will also meet victims of
violence as well as members of the clergy and charities operating in the
country.
Pilgrimage
of peace
On Friday, Francis will travel to Juba, the capital of South
Sudan, also one of the world's poorest countries, that has lurched from one
crisis to another since gaining independence in 2011.
It suffered a brutal five-year civil war, while continued conflict
between rival ethnic groups exacts a terrible toll on civilians.
The pope will be joined in Juba by the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Rowan Williams, and the leader of the Church of Scotland, on what he has called
"an ecumenical pilgrimage of peace".
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