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"The suffocation of Africa must stop": Pope Francis in Kinshasa
Photo:
Gregorio Borgia / AP
At the beginning of his African trip in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pope Francis called for peace and an end to the bloody conflicts.
"Violence and hatred must no longer have a place in anyone's heart or on their lips, because they are misanthropic and anti-Christian feelings that paralyze development and lead us back to a dark past," the pontiff said at a meeting in the capital Kinshasa with top politicians, representatives of civil society and diplomats.
Congo has been plagued by conflict for decades.
Violence has recently escalated, especially in the east of the country, where rebels have carried out more attacks and killed many people.
In his first public speech in Kinshasa, Francis also recalled that suffering in Africa often comes from outside: “It is tragic that these areas and the African continent in general are still suffering from various forms of exploitation.
After political colonialism, an equally enslaving 'economic colonialism' unleashed itself.«
That is why the continent cannot benefit from its resources and natural resources.
"Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo, hands off Africa!", Francis demanded: "The suffocation of Africa must stop: there is no mine to be exploited, no land to be plundered.
May Africa herself be the protagonist of his destiny!«
Before the speech in the presidential palace, Francis had driven from the airport to the city center - hundreds of thousands of people had lined up for kilometers and cheered the head of the Catholics.
On Wednesday morning, Francis will celebrate a public mass at a military airport, to which more than a million believers are expected.
sak/dpa/Reuters/AP
