Pope Francis demanded Tuesday that foreign powers stop plundering Africa's natural resources for the 'poison of their own greed' as he arrived in Congo to a raucous welcome by Congolese grateful he was focusing the world's attention on their forgotten plight.
Pope Francis, left, sits with President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo during a welcome ceremony in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 31, 2023. Pope Francis demanded Tuesday that foreign powers stop plundering Africa's natural resources for the "poison of their own greed" as he arrived in Congo to a raucous welcome by Congolese grateful he was focusing the world's attention on their forgotten plight.
"Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa!" Francis said to applause in his opening speech to Congolese government authorities and the diplomatic corps in the garden of Kinshasa's national palace. It was also supposed to have included a stop in Goma, in eastern Congo, but the surrounding North Kivu region has been plagued by intense fighting between government troops and the M23 rebel group, as well as attacks by militants linked to the Islamic State group.
"This will allow the world to discover the atrocities of which our brothers in the east of the country are victims. And maybe for once, the little humanity that remains in some people will cause an awakening and the international community will not only be interested in what is happening in Ukraine but also in what is happening in this country," she said.
Francis' tough words at the start set the tone for the trip, in which the pontiff is aiming to bring a message of peace, a warning to the international community to not look the other way and a recognition that Africa is the future of the Catholic Church. Aid groups had hoped Francis' six-day visit would shine a spotlight on the forgotten conflicts of Congo and South Sudan and their soaring humanitarian costs, and rekindle international attention amid donor fatigue that has set in due to new aid priorities in Ukraine.
"We cannot grow accustomed to the bloodshed that has marked this country for decades, causing millions of deaths that remain mostly unknown elsewhere," he said.
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