Pope Francis landed in Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday for a visit that will highlight the human cost of decades of conflict in the vast central African country, which is rich in minerals but where millions are displaced and live in poverty.
Francis is the first pope to visit Congo since John Paul II in 1985, when it was still known as Zaire. About half of Congo’s population of 90 million are Roman Catholics.
“For me, it’s the first time I’m seeing him other than on television. It’s a moment of joy,” said Alain Difima, a Catholic priest who spent hours waiting for the pope’s arrival at the airport.
After a welcome ceremony and a meeting with President Felix Tshisekedi, the 86-year-old pontiff will give a speech to authorities, diplomats and representatives of civil society.
On Wednesday, he will celebrate Mass and meet victims of violence from the eastern part of the country, which is blighted by recurring fighting between rebels from the M23 group and government troops.
“I wanted to go to Goma but we can’t because of the war,” the pope told reporters during his flight, referring to a city in eastern Congo that he had originally planned to visit before that stop was scrapped because of fighting in the region.
Congo has some of the world’s richest deposits of diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, tin, tantalum and lithium, but its abundant mineral resources have stoked conflict between militias, government troops and foreign invaders. Mining has also been linked to inhumane exploitation of workers and environmental degradation.
Eastern Congo has also been plagued by violence connected to the long and complex fallout from the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda.
An estimated 5.7 million people are internally displaced in Congo and 26 million face severe hunger, largely because of the impact of armed conflict, according to the United Nations.
The Catholic Church plays a crucial role in running schools and health facilities in the country, as well as promoting democracy.
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