The Pope ends his visit to the Congo and heads to the unstable South Sudan
KINSHASA, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Pope Francis wrapped up an emotional visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday before heading to neighboring South Sudan, another country struggling to end decades of conflict and poverty.
The 86-year-old pontiff, on his third trip to sub-Saharan Africa since his pontificate began in 2013, was welcomed by large crowds in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, where war, poverty and hunger faced the reality.
On Wednesday, he witnessed the killing of close relatives of victims of the conflict in eastern Congo, who were subjected to sexual slavery, amputation and mandatory heard the bitter stories of cannibals.
The Pope condemned these atrocities as war crimes and appealed to all parties, internal and external, who orchestrated the war in the Congo, calling on them to stop enriching themselves with “blood-soaked money” and looting the country’s vast mineral resources.
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Eastern Congo has been wracked by decades of conflict between the government, rebels and foreign invaders over control of deposits of diamonds, gold and other precious metals. The spread and lingering effects of the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda also fueled the violence.
Francis returned again and again to the theme of the conflict fueled by the “poison of greed”, saying the Congolese people and the wider world must understand that people are more valuable than the minerals beneath the earth.
From the meeting with the Congolese bishops in Kinshasa on Friday morning and weather After the farewell ceremony at the port of his plane It will take off at 0940 GMT and head for Juba, the capital of South Sudan, where it is expected to land around 1300 GMT.
The Pope will be accompanied by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the leader of the global Anglican Communion, Justin Welby, and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields, throughout his visit to South Sudan.
This is the first joint foreign trip of the three Christian leaders, who called it a “peace pilgrimage”.
South Sudan broke away from Sudan to become independent in 2011 after decades of north-south conflict, but civil war broke out in 2013. Between two main antagonists 2018Despite the peace agreement signed in hunger still going on.
Francis to the country, which has been predominantly Christian for years trip wanted to do, but every time trip planning had to be postponed due to instability on the ground.
In one of the most notable gestures of his papacy, Francis kissed the feet of South Sudan’s former warring leaders during a meeting at the Vatican in April 2019, urging them not to return to civil war.
Written by Estelle Shirbon. Edited by Alexandra Hudson
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2023-02-03 10:19:23
Source – reuters
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