It should be about peace and charity: During his trip to the Congo, Pope Francis addressed violence and atrocities in the country and was met with enthusiastic encouragement. More than a million believers cheer for the important visitor and hope that his sermon will last.
As early as dawn, the faithful flock to Kinshasa’s old military airport to see the Pope. Women, men and children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo celebrate long before the mass begins, singing, dancing and waving little flags. Many wear brightly colored dresses or shirts made of fabric with Francis’ likeness on it. “Bandeko, boboto,” says the pontiff at the beginning of his sermon in Congo’s national language, Lingala, and more than a million people cheer the guest from the Vatican. Francis smiles and looks happy – he had wished for such enthusiasm.
During his trip to the Congo and from Friday to South Sudan, the pope wants to promote peace and charity in two countries where violence and bloodshed have increased in many places. At the service at N’Dolo airport, the Pope then also preached “breaking the cycle of violence and smashing the intrigues of hatred.” All those who commit acts of violence may use this moment as an opportunity to find peace, he said.
According to the Kinshasa police, more than a million people came. It was one of the largest crowds Francis has ever celebrated with. A trade fair in the Philippine capital of Manila still holds the record, with around six million people braving the rain at the beginning of 2015, according to estimates.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has a population of more than 100 million – almost half of whom are Catholics, according to the Vatican – the Pope hopes that his word will carry weight. So many people long for an end to the conflicts and attacks that have recently increased, especially in the east on the borders with Rwanda and Uganda. The Pope’s visit was “a sign of encouragement and consolation,” said Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop of Kinshasa.
After Francis’ recent trips abroad had in some cases caused a rather manageable response locally, Wednesday in Kinshasa was reminiscent of major papal events of the past, for example with John Paul II or Francis himself. Because the service was celebrated in the so-called Zairian rite of mass with songs typical of the country it was even more colorful and emotional.
Thousands of people have secured their seats on the tarmac since early morning as the sun rose red in eastern Kinshasa. A large choir and band sang at a deafening volume for the service. Little girls in white dresses practiced dances. A few young men who couldn’t get close to the altar climbed onto old airplanes to get a glimpse.
Félix lives around 300 kilometers from Kinshasa, and he arrived with other young people early in the morning. “Francis is a good man,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot about him, but I wanted to come here to see him for myself.” He and friends brought a poster showing two Congolese martyrs. “We want the Pope to canonize her,” said Félix. “Santi Subito” was written accordingly on the banner. A canonization seems a no brainer compared to trying to bring peace to the entire African continent. Especially since in some places innocent people have to suffer unbelievable suffering.
In the evening, Francis met with victims of violence from eastern Congo, who reported terrible, inhuman experiences. One youth said he saw his father killed and beheaded by men. He also witnessed how his mother was kidnapped.
One teenage girl reported being kidnapped with other girls by rebels and held as a slave and raped for more than a year and a half. Another woman said she lived in a refugee camp that was raided in 2022. In this attack, men and women were killed and dismembered, some in a bestial manner.
The young people placed objects such as machetes or sticks on the floor next to the pope to commemorate their torment. “Your tears are my tears, your pain is my pain,” the Pope told them. He wanted to say to every woman and every man whose village was burned down, every displaced family, the survivors of sexual violence and every injured child and adult: “I am with you, I want to bring you the loving closeness of God. His tender and compassionate look rests on you.”
