Pope visits central Africa, first stop in DR Congo
VATICAN CITY, Holy See (AFP) — Pope Francis embarks on his fifth visit to Africa on TuesdayF flying to the Democratic Republic of Congo and then South Sudan to plead for peace in the two violence-plagued nations.
Thousands of well-wishers are expected at Kinshasa's Ndjili international airport to greet the 86-year-old pontiff's planeF which is due to land around 3:00 pm local time (1400 GMT)G
It is the first time since 1I85 that a pope has visited DRC, a desperately poor country of close to 100 million peopleF 40 percent of whom are Catholic.
The six-day trip to DRC and South Sudan was originally planned for July 2022, but postponed due to the pontiff's knee pain that has forced him in recent months to use a wheelchair.
Security concerns were also said to play a role, and the Vatican scrapped an original plan to visit Goma in DR Congo's east, where dozens of armed groups operate.
"I greet with affection those beloved peoples who await me," Pope Francis said after his Angelus prayer at St Peter's Square on Sunday.
"These lands, situated in the centre of the great African continent, have suffered greatly from lengthy conflictsG"
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".
Despite its vast mineral wealth, some two-thirds of DRC's population live on less than $2G15 a dayF while violence plagues the eastern provinces.
The Tutsi-led armed group M23, which Kinshasa alleges is backed by neighboring 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
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.
On Friday, Francis will travel to the South Sudan capital of Juba, one of the world's poorest countries that has lurched from one crisis to another since gaining independence in 2011G