Pope Francis warned this Thursday, on the third day of his visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRCongo), of the “witchcraft” and “occultism” that imprison society in the “claws of fear” and urged young people to cast aside “tribalism.” “.
“Also think about addiction to the occult and sorcery that locks you into the grip of fear, revenge and anger. Don’t let yourself be charmed by these false selfish paradises built on looks, easy money or misguided religiosity,” he said at a meeting with youth at the Martyrs’ Stadium in Kinshasa, the capital of the African country with the largest number of Catholics and one of the places in the world where the number of believers continues to grow.
The Argentine Pope also warned against “the filth of corruption” and defended the virtue of “keep your hands clean” because “hands that deal with money are stained with blood.”
“If someone tries to bribe you, promise you favors and riches, do not fall into the trap, do not be deceived, do not let the swamp of evil swallow you,” he said.
Francis also warned against “the temptation to point the finger at someone, to exclude someone because of a different background”, an attitude he called “regionalism” or “tribalism”.
“It is easier to judge someone than to understand them, but the way God shows us to build a better world is through the other, through the whole, through the community, the other,” he repeated.
After welcoming the crowd aboard the popemobile, the pontiff listened to several testimonies and delivered a sermon in a stadium with a capacity of 80,000 people, in which he urged the faithful not to believe “in dark conspiracies for money.”
Francisco’s speech also spoke of the need for forgiveness as a way to reconcile society in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country torn by war and violence.
“Forgiveness does not mean forgetting the past, not resigning to repeating it. It means changing the course of history. It serves to lift those who have fallen. It means accepting the idea that no one is perfect and that not only me, everyone has the right to start over” , – he said.
The Christian, he added, “not only loves those who love him, he knows how to stop the spiral of personal and tribal revenge with forgiveness.”
Francis, who is traveling in a wheelchair due to knee pain, will meet Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Luconde at the Apostolic Nunciature in Kinshasa this Thursday before heading to Notre Dame du Congo, built in 1947. where he will give another speech to priests and monks.
As usual on his travels, Francis will conclude this third day of his visit with a private meeting with members of the Society of Jesus.
In recent months, the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been the scene of an upsurge of violence, especially along the border with Rwanda, in an area rich in coltan for the production of electronic equipment and where more than 100 active armed groups operate. , namely the March 23 Movement (M23) and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), due to which the Pope’s visit to Goma, scheduled in the original program, was suspended.
Kinshasa accuses M23 of collaborating with Rwanda, a charge that Kigali has always denied, although at least two United Nations reports have confirmed this.
Rwanda, as well as M23, accuse the Congolese army of allying with FDLR rebels founded in 2000 by those responsible for the 1994 genocide and other Rwandans exiled in the DRC to reassert political power in their country of origin. . . . The United Nations has also confirmed this cooperation.
The leader of the Catholic Church, in consecutive speeches over the past three days, has called for dialogue and forgiveness as a means to achieve peace, a speech in which the deaths of more than 200 civilians and the flight of almost 52,000 people from their homes in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu over the past six weeks, while more than 1.5 million people remain in the region as internally displaced persons.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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