Pope Francis begins a seven-day visit in Kinshasa on Tuesday to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, two countries ravaged by war, famine and climate-related disasters.
Expected to be particularly challenging due to his mobility problems, Francisco 86’s 40th international trip was scheduled for July last year, but due to knee pain, it was postponed and has since security in the region has become more complex in both countries.
In recent months, the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been the scene of an upsurge of violence, especially on the border with Rwanda, in an area rich in coltan for the production of electronic equipment and where there are more than 100 groups of regular armed forces, namely the March 23 Movement ( M23), due to which the visit to Goma, planned in the original program, was suspended.