Congolese flock Kinsasha streets to welcome Pope Francis in DRC

By Francis Jjunju

31^st Jan 2023

Posters, gadgets and ‘Bienvenue Pape François’ flags line the streets of Kinshasa as the Democratic Republic of Congo to welcome the arrival of Pope Francis, as he begins his 40th Apostolic Journey abroad.

The Pontiff , touched down at 3 pm, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 37 years after Pope St. John Paul II’s visit.

The trip marks the Pope’s first Apostolic Journey in 2023, which will continue in South Sudan.

The visit has been long-desired by Pope Francis, and was originally for July 2022, but was postponed for health reasons.

The Pope kept his promise to visit this population of some 100 million people, 49% of whom are Catholics, plagued by endemic poverty that takes the form of worn-down shops and food markets and houses submerged in mud, as well as pollution.

The pope is taking what he termed as an “Ecumenical pilgrimage of Peace” together with the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the moderator of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields.

Pope Francis’ visit to Kinshasa starts on Tuesday 31^st January to February 3rd before traveling to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, from 3^rd February to 5^th 2023.

Pope Francis will be the first pope to visit South Sudan, the world’s newest country, which declared independence from the Republic of the Sudan in 2011.