Before an audience of 183 diplomats, Pope Francis presented his best wishes for the new year. During this address, he also presented his international priorities for 2023, and took stock of the current conflicts.
During his speech before the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See on Monday (January 9), Francis underlined his “fear” about certain conflicts in Africa.
In fact, we are just weeks away from his trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on January 31st.
His trip to the African country that hosts the largest Catholic population, was initially scheduled to receive the pontiff last July. However, it was postponed because he faced health problems.
Francis’ desire to come as a “pilgrim of peace” remained intact.
But his itinerary had to undergo changes. Peter’s successor will no longer visit the east of the country, which is plagued by violence from armed groups.
Tens of thousands of Congolese have been displaced, many in the direction of Goma, amid fresh fighting between government soldiers and M23 rebels in mineral-rich eastern Congo. A ceasefire was supposed to take effect last week to end the latest round of fighting.
In Kinshasa, he is set to parade down Lumumba Boulevard to the presidential palace. It is there that the Pope will deliver his first speech on Congolese soil.
Six sites have been selected for this papal visit. The most important event will be a mass that will be celebrated the day after your arrival. It will take place at the Ndolo military airport. This is the only open site that can accommodate more than a million people.
african crises
The 86-year-old bishop added his voice to the cry for peace of the people of South Sudan.
After the leg of the trip in the Congo, from January 31 to February 31. On February 2, he will be joined by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, The Most Reverend Iain Greenshields, for the first ecumenical peace tour of the leaders of the three Christians. churches, to Juba, South Sudan, February 3-5.
There, the three will hold an ecumenical prayer service together and meet with displaced people from South Sudan.
On Monday, Francis also expressed concern about the crises experienced by Burkinabe, Malians and Nigerians.
He hoped that the transition processes under way in Sudan, Mali, Chad, Guinea and Burkina Faso would be carried out “in respect of the legitimate aspirations of the populations involved”.
The Pope also strongly called for universal recognition of religious freedom.
A reform of multilateral organizations
On multilateralism, he pointed out a model in crisis: “The current conflict in Ukraine has made even more evident the crisis that has affected the multilateral system for a long time, which needs a profound rethinking in order to adequately respond to the challenges of our time. ”
“This requires a reform of the bodies that allow them to function effectively, so that they can be truly representative of the needs and sensitivities of all peoples, and avoid procedures that give greater weight to some, to the detriment of others. It is not a question of building coalitions, but of providing opportunities for all to be partners in dialogue.”
For this reason, he called for reform: “a reform of the bodies that allow them to function effectively, so that they are truly representative of the needs and sensitivities of all peoples, and avoid procedures that give greater weight to some, to the detriment of others.” others, it is not about building coalitions, but about providing opportunities for all to be partners in dialogue.
