A million people attended an open mass by Pope Francis in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The landmark trip is the first visit by a pope since 1985.
But the visit also struck a somber note. The pope is keen to highlight the impact of decades of conflict by armed groups, and a bloody offensive by the M23 rebel group in the east of the country.
On his first day in the country Tuesday, he made a striking speech condemning what he called"economic colonialism." "Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa, it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered," Pope Francis said. The pope repeated this message at the open-air Mass. He made a passionate denouncement against violence — and appealed for those armed groups, who call themselves Christians, to lay down their weapons.
Pope Francis blesses attendees as he meets with victims of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo at the Apostolic Nunciature in Kinshasa.Pope Francis blesses attendees as he meets with victims of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo at the Apostolic Nunciature in Kinshasa.More than 6 million people have been displaced by years of violence in the region. In some particularly moving scenes, the pope met victims of rape and violence.
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