In the DRC, the pope condemns the “poison of greed” and the plundering of resources







Photo credit © Reuters


by Philip Pullella and Justin Makangara

KINSHASA (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Tuesday condemned the “poison of greed” and the looting of mineral resources, a source of conflict and exploitation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the first day of his apostolic trip to the country of ‘Central Africa.

“Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa! This is not a mine to be looted or land to be ransacked,” said the pontiff, to applause, during a speech at the palace presidential election of Kinhasa, shortly after his arrival in the capital of the DRC.

“We have the impression that the international community has practically resigned itself to the violence that is devouring the country. We cannot get used to the bloodbath that has marked this country for decades, causing millions of deaths”, still underlined the Pope.

Francis, 86, is the first pope to visit former Zaire since John Paul II in 1985. Nearly half of the 90 million Congolese are Catholic.

An enthusiastic crowd of tens of thousands of worshipers had gathered to greet the papal motorcade along the road from Kinshasa airport to the city center, waving DRC and Vatican flags.

The sovereign pontiff went to the presidential palace where President Felix Tshisekedi was waiting for him, in order to deliver a speech to representatives of the authorities and civil society as well as diplomats.

On Wednesday, he will celebrate mass and meet victims in the east of the country, the scene of recurring fighting between the rebels of the M23 group and government troops.

“I wanted to go to Goma but it won’t be possible because of the war” in the region, the pope told reporters during his flight, referring to the big city in eastern DRC.

Pope Francis is due to stay in the DRC until Friday, before traveling to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, where he will stay until February 5.

(With contributions from Justin Makangara, Benoit Nyemba, Sonia Rolley, Stanis Bujakera and Paul Lorgerie, written by Estelle Shirbon, French version Dina Kartit and Jean-Stéphane Brosse, edited by Kate Entringer, Blandine Hénault and Matthieu Protard)












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