Pope Francis arrived in Kinshasa on Tuesday for a four-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the first stop on a tour that will also take him to Southern Sudan.
“We’ve been waiting for a year, it’s a beautiful journey, I would have liked to go to Goma but, because of the war, I can’t”, said Jorge Bergoglio, 86, to journalists who accompanied him on the plane.
The pontiff’s plane took off from Rome at 4:30 in the morning and landed around noon this Tuesday at Kinshasa airport, where it was received by the authorities. The pontiff got off the plane in a wheelchair.
A prayer on the Sahara
When the plane was flying over the Sahara desert, the pope asked perform “a prayer for all people seeking some well-beinga little freedom” fleeing their countries, hoping to reach Europe.
“They arrive in the Mediterranean after crossing the desert and end up in the fields where they suffer,” he stressed.
a postponed visit
Originally scheduled for July 2022, the visit had to be postponed for knee pain Francisco, 86, who uses a wheelchair, as well as safety problems in Goma, in the north-east of the country, a stage that has been cancelled.
The Argentine pontiff hopes to take his 40th international trip with him a message of peace and reconciliation in this country ravaged by violence and poverty.
In the DRC, with about 100 million inhabitants, of which two thirds live on less than 2.15 dollars a day, the pontiff will speak of “the armed clashes and exploitation” suffered by this country rich in natural resources, but with an impoverished population, according to the Pope himself. Sunday Angelus.
developing
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.