The Pope condemned the «economic colonialism» of the rich countries that has «bloodied» the diamonds of the Democratic Republic of Congo and, in his first speech in the country where he will stay for four days before moving on to South Sudan, he also defended that «Africa is not a mine to exploit or a land to plunder».
«After political colonialism, an equally enslaving economic colonialism has been unleashed. Thus, this country, abundantly plundered, is not able to benefit sufficiently from its immense resources: it has come to the paradox that the fruits of its own land make it a ‘foreigner’ for its inhabitants», the Pontiff pointed out.
Francis arrived at 14:38 (local time) at the international airport of N’djili, in Kinshasa, where he was received by the Prime Minister of the country, Anatole Collinet Makosso. He then drove to the Palace of the Nation – 29 kilometers from the airport – where he met privately with the President, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo. Once in the garden, the Pope delivered his speech to the authorities, in which he pointed out that «the poison of greed has bloodied your diamonds».
«It is a drama before which the most economically advanced world usually closes its eyes, ears and mouth,» denounced the Pope who urged respect for the country and reserved space and attention on the international agenda. «Do not touch the Democratic Republic of Congo, do not touch Africa. Stop suffocating it, because Africa is not a mine to be exploited or a land to be plundered,» the Pope exclaimed.
In the same way, he reproached the international community for having «almost resigned itself to the violence that devours it». «We cannot get used to the blood that has been flowing in this country for decades, causing millions of deaths without many knowing it,» he said.
The Pontiff also referred to the «multifaceted character» of the DRC where more than 200 ethnic groups coexist and defended that «it is a richness that must be cared for, avoiding falling into tribalism and opposition».
«To stubbornly take sides for one’s own ethnic group or for particular interests, feeding spirals of hatred and violence, is detrimental to all, since it blocks the necessary ‘chemistry of the whole'», assured the Pontiff, who will not travel to North Kivu, an area where more than 100 very violent militias are active, fighting among themselves to appropriate the exploitation of coltan mines.
The Pope asked that violence and hatred «no longer have a place in anyone’s heart or on anyone’s lips, because they are anti-human and anti-Christian sentiments that paralyze development and make us go back to a dark past». Thus, he regretted that the Democratic Republic of Congo is «tormented by war» and continues to suffer, within its borders, «conflicts and forced migrations, and continues to suffer terrible forms of exploitation, unworthy of man and of creation».
«This immense country full of life, this diaphragm of Africa, struck by violence like a punch in the stomach, has long seemed to be out of breath,» the Pope said after condemning the deplorable attempts to fragment the country.
This Wednesday morning, the Pontiff will celebrate Holy Mass at Ndolo Airport. In the afternoon there will be a meeting with the victims of the East of the country and a meeting with representatives of charitable organizations, both at the Apostolic Nunciature On Thursday morning, the Pope will hold a meeting with young people and catechists at the Martyrs Stadium, a place that has been affected by the torrential rains that are lashing the capital. In fact, the stadium has been damaged, although work is already underway to restore it. The last visit of a pontiff to the Congolese capital, Kinshasa was in August 1985, when the then Pope John Paul II stayed two days in that country, which was then called Zaire. Pope Francis was last in Africa in 2019 with a trip to Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)