KINSHASA, Feb 2 (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Thursday urged the youth of the Democratic Republic of Congo to forge a new future without the ethnic rivalry, corruption and mistrust that have fueled so many bloody conflicts in Africa.
Addressing more than 65,000 young people at the Estadio de los Mártires, Francis spoke of forgiveness and reconciliation, themes that have dominated his visit to the country where armed conflict has killed and displaced millions of people in recent decades.
But Thursday’s speech, which focused on what he called “ingredients for the future,” struck a more hopeful tone than previous ones, speaking of possible new horizons for Congo rather than its bloody past and present.
The speech was interrupted so many times by applause and cheers that at one point an organizer grabbed a microphone and yelled “let the Pope speak” before he could continue.
“Beware of the temptation to point fingers at someone, to exclude another person because they are different; beware of regionalism, tribalism or anything that makes you feel safe in your own group,” he told them.
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“You know what happens: first you believe in prejudices about others, then you justify hate, then violence, and in the end you find yourself in the middle of a war,” he said.
Congo has some of the world’s richest deposits of diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, tin, tantalum and lithium, but its abundant mineral resources have fueled conflict between ethnic groups, militias, government troops and foreign invaders.
Eastern Congo has also been plagued by violence related to the long and complex aftermath of the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda, which unfolded along ethnic divide lines.
“To create a new future we need to give and receive forgiveness. That is what we Christians do,” he said.
DO THE RIGHT THING
Urging the youngsters in the packed stadium to “do the right thing,” Francis also asked them not to repeat the mistakes of previous generations. He highlighted “corruption, which never seems to stop spreading.”
He led the stadium in an impromptu chant of “no to corruption” in French, Congo’s lingua franca.
The United Nations says that African economies lose nearly $150 billion to corruption each year.
“Do not allow yourselves to be manipulated by individuals or groups that try to use you to keep your country in the grip of violence and instability, so that they can continue to control it without accountability to anyone,” the Pope told them.
On Wednesday, the Pope heard harrowing accounts from victims of the conflict, hearing them speak of rape, amputations, forced cannibalism and sexual slavery. He condemned the atrocities as war crimes.
“As a girl, we know that through your visit, many solutions will be found for our young sisters, girls and women, who are subjected to sexual violence, especially in the East. That is the big problem that hurts us, ”she said. Helena Camilo, 24, a business administration student who was at the stadium.
The 86-year-old pope is on the penultimate day of the first leg of his two-nation African tour.
On Friday he leaves Congo for neighboring South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, which is also grappling with conflict and famine after a civil war fought largely along ethnic lines and killed 400,000 people.
Additional reporting by Paul Lorgerie and Sonia Rolley; Edited by Estelle Shirbon and Nick Macfie
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