Pope Francis preaches peace in the capital of the Congo – while fighting is going on in the east of the country. In the election year, his church is of great importance. For the Pope, it's on to South Sudan.
“We want peace in the East” – a man brought this wish in writing to the papal mass
Already in the morning the sun shines relentlessly. Séraphine Nlandu waves a fan at herself. She has left the entrance gate of the airport grounds behind her and is looking at the meadow, where hundreds of thousands, maybe more than a million people are gathering. Pope Francis will soon be chauffeured across the landing area to a massive grandstand in his papamobile, waving. He will hold a long-awaited fair here in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“Most of all, we're happy,” says Nlandu, mother of three, about the papal mass. “We want to hope that the presence of the Pope will bring about peace in the country.” She lives in Ngiri-Ngiri, one of those quarters in which built-up plots are lined up side by side. Her family can't afford much in expensive Kinshasa, even if she earns a little on top of her husband's civil servant salary with odd jobs. “Our country is big, rich, potentially rich. But the people don't benefit from it,” she says.
< p>Séraphine Nlandu has traveled from the densely built-up Ngiri-Ngiri district to the papal mass
War in the east of the country
At least there is peace in the capital – in contrast to the east of the country, where the Congo Research Group counts more than 120 rebel groups. A difficult conflict situation that has taken on a life of its own in almost 30 years. Because rebels, the military, entrepreneurs and politicians often benefit more from war than from peace. One of the armed groups, the M23, is currently making the headlines with an offensive. According to the EU and other observers, neighboring Rwanda supports the rebels. And as if that weren't tricky enough, the president and parliament are also to be re-elected at the end of the year.
The 86-year-old pope holds the mass in a seated position. Only once did the Pope call the war by its name. He wants to offer comfort to the victims, call for their forgiveness and appeal to the responsibility of the individual.
Because Due to a knee problem, Pope Francis was also dependent on a wheelchair during the Mass
He speaks of Christians as “missionaries of love”. “Jesus says today to every family, every church, every ethnic group, every neighborhood and every city of this great country: 'Peace be with you'”. These are indications in a country where conflicts are also fought along ethnic identities.
After each major thought, the head of the church pauses so that translations from Italian into French can follow. And so the believers listen in silence for long stretches. Only when the pope addresses the people with his concluding words in the national language Lingala does applause break out.
The pope as a political admonisher
The tone on the evening of arrival was completely different. In the garden of the President's official residence, Pope Francis addressed policy makers, civil society representatives and ambassadors. Congo is fighting to “protect its dignity and territorial integrity against despicable attempts at fragmentation of the country”. A pointer to Rwanda's support for the M23, which the government in Kigali denies.
But not only: Political colonialism has turned into “economic colonialism” that is plundering the Congo and its resources, he was outraged Pope: “Keep your hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo, keep your hands off Africa! Stop oppressing the continent.”
Official state visit on the eve of the Mass: Pope Francis with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi
Félix Tshisekedi, the Congolese President, sat on a chair next to the Pope. Only a short time before, he too spoke of a Congo “where, in addition to the armed groups, foreign powers are also exploiting the raw materials of our soil.” Here, too, Rwanda is accused of involvement.
Church as a counterbalance to state power
President Tshisekedi follows the fair at the airport from a pavilion. Ministers, members of the military – and also the opposition politician Martin Fayulu – are sitting to his right and left in the blazing sun.
In the Congo, the Catholic Church is a counterweight to power. Shortly after Tshisekedi was declared the winner of the 2019 election, church observers declared the result rigged. Opponent Fayulu is the real winner. Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, Archbishop of Kinshasa said at the time: “This result is a denial of the truth”. The next election will take place at the end of this year.
About a million people came to the papal mass in Kinshasa< /p>
In a loose robe, decorated with red stripes, he is now standing on the podium next to the Pope and speaking into the microphone: “Your visit comes during an election phase, which is often a reason for social and political tensions in our country,” says Ambongo thundering voice. “With the message you brought to the people – 'All united in Jesus Christ' – and our confidence in your prayers, we hope for free, transparent, inclusive and peaceful elections in our country.” The faithful erupt in cheers.
After the Mass, many believers climb onto the podium for selfies. Then they pull away in all directions. What about the call for peace? “We want this message to be translated into action,” says visitor Séraphine Nlandu. She hopes that those responsible for the war and suffering will also hear the message. “But that's how it is in the church: you preach, but then putting it into practice is a completely different matter.”
Travel on to South Sudan
Meanwhile, Pope Francis is focusing on the second stop on his trip to Africa: He is expected in South Sudan on Friday. In the youngest country in the world, preparations for the Pope's premiere are in full swing. In the capital, Juba, potholes are being removed and roads cleaned; Choirs rehearse new songs. The papal visit, originally planned for 2022, is highly symbolic for the Christian country, which has been in civil war for most of its independence and has not been able to completely resolve its political conflicts to this day.
< img src="https://static.dw.com/image/64591323_401.jpg" />
Departure in the “Papamobile”: Pope Francis sets out from Kinshasa for South Sudan
“We are in a bad situation,” James Chuol, who sought refuge from the war in Juba, told DW. “We citizens haven't seen real peace since 2013. We expect that things might change with the papal visit.” Many of the agreements from a 2020 peace agreement have not yet been implemented. The general hope is that the pope, as the authority in the Christian-dominated country, can speak to the political leaders' conscience and reawaken international interest in one of Africa's forgotten conflicts.