Pope Francis urged the people of Congo on Wednesday to forgive those who have hurt them as he presided over a mass before an estimated one million people in a country ravaged by decades of violence.
Many of the faithful spent the night at the capital’s large Ndolo airport and spent the hours before Francis’ arrival singing, dancing and cheering for the pontiff’s first main event on his trip to Africa. His is the first papal visit to the country since that of Saint John Paul II in 1985.
The crowd cheered wildly as Francis began a languid tour of the airfields in his open-sided popemobile, a few people running alongside him or waving flags. Many women wore dresses and skirts made of pagne, a wax-printed fabric, with images of Francis or other religious symbols.
“Today I understand my grandmother’s enthusiasm when Pope John Paul II came,” said Julie Mbuyi, a 45-year-old mother of two wearing a Francis-themed outfit. “She was so excited to see him and last night she couldn’t close her eyes!”
The crowd cheered again as the Argentine pope greeted them in Lingala, one of Congo’s four national languages widely spoken in the capital, Kinshasa. And they listened carefully how he exhorted them in his homily to open their hearts to forgiveness, citing the example of Christ who forgave those who betrayed him.
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“He showed them his wounds because forgiveness is born from wounds,” Francisco said. “It is born when our wounds do not leave scars of hate, but become the means by which we give place to others and accept their weaknesses. Our weakness becomes an opportunity, and forgiveness becomes the path to peace.”
Referring to the decades of violence, especially in eastern Congo, that have forced millions of people to flee their homes, Francis stressed that forgiving does not mean pretending nothing bad has happened. But he said it creates an “amnesty of the heart.”
“How good it does us to cleanse our hearts of anger and remorse, of all traces of resentment and hostility!” he said.
In his opening address to government officials after arriving Tuesday, Francis condemned the looting of Africa’s mineral and natural wealth by foreign powers for centuries.
Later Wednesday, Francis will meet with victims of fighting in eastern Congo, where rebel groups have intensified attacks over the past year as they try to expand their territory. At the gathering, people who have suffered unspeakable atrocities are expected to tell their stories.
Francis had originally planned to visit the eastern province of North Kivu but had to cancel the stopover due to fighting that forced some 5.7 million people to flee their homes, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in Congo, where more than 26 million face hunger, according to the World Food Program.
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Pope Francis arrives at Ndolo airport to celebrate Holy Mass, in Kinshasa, Congo, on February 1, 2023. Francis celebrated a mass in Congo in front of approximately 1 million people.
(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
“When we found out that Pope Francis would no longer be coming to our North Kivu province, my husband and I decided to go all the way to Kinshasa to see and hear him,” said Jeanne Kahota as she waited for the mass to begin. She said that she was old enough to remember John Paul’s visit, but she couldn’t keep up with it.
“That’s why we told ourselves that these types of events don’t happen every day, they are exceptional and we didn’t want to miss them.”
About half of Congo’s 105 million people are Catholic, according to Vatican statistics.
Fighting in eastern Congo, which has more than 120 armed groups, has simmered for years but spiked in late 2021 with the resurgence of the M23 group, which had been dormant for nearly a decade. The rebels have captured swathes of land and are accused by the United Nations and human rights groups of committing atrocities against civilians.
Francis condemned the clashes on Tuesday and planned to repeat his call for peace during his meeting with victims of the conflict. The victims were also expected to take part in a ceremony to forgive their attackers, according to Vatican organizers.
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The Vatican estimated that a million people attended Francis’ mass on Wednesday, citing local organizers. The airport fields have a capacity of 1.5 million people and were not full when the Mass began.
Among the worshipers was Clément Konde, who traveled from Kisantu, a town in Central Kongo province, more than 150 kilometers (95 miles) from Kinshasa. He planned to participate in all of Francis’ events this week before the pontiff heads to South Sudan, the second leg of his African trip.
“To my children and to the children who stayed in my city, I will bring the message of the Holy Father, the message of peace and reconciliation,” Konde said.
