Foreign
POPE Francis has urged young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo to forge a new future without the ethnic rivalry, corruption, and distrust that have fuelled so many bloody conflicts in Africa.
The Pope gave the charge on Thursday at a colourful and joyful meeting with some 65,000 faithful at Kinshasa’s football stadium.
The Catholic church leader encouraged the people of Congo to take their destiny into their own hands.
“Do not let yourselves be manipulated by individuals or groups that try to use you to keep your country in the grip of violence and instability, so that they can continue to control it without answering to anyone,” the pontiff told the crowd at the Martyrs Stadium.
He added: “May you be the ones who transform society, the ones who turn evil into good, hatred into love, war into peace. Do you want to be that kind of person? If you do, then it is possible.”
The Pope is visiting Congo this week and travels on to South Sudan on Friday.
The two countries have recently been plagued again by bloody conflict, with violence escalating in eastern Congo in particular.
On Wednesday in Kinshasa, Francis met victims of violence in the east.
They reported unimaginable atrocities that either they experienced personally or their relatives had to suffer.
Some 120,000 people have had to flee from their homes amid renewed clashes between government forces and rebels in east Congo, according to aid organisation Save the Children.
Last week saw heavy fighting between government forces and fighters from the M23 rebel group in the region, the organisation said on Wednesday.
The pope had planned to visit the eastern city of Goma, near the border with Rwanda, but abandoned that idea due to the recent escalation of violence in the area.
The conflict has resulted in more than 5 million internally displace people, according to UN estimates.
The Pope acknowledged the suffering and said a main reason for evil is corruption, greed and money and said people should not succumb to these temptations.
“If someone offers you a bribe, or promises you favours and lots of money, do not fall into the trap.
“Do not be deceived; do not be sucked into the swamp of evil,” he told the young people in the stadium.
He urged them to shout “No to corruption!” together.
The young people in the stands euphorically complied, spontaneously turning towards the VIP tribune, where politicians were also seated.
Africa is not only rich in natural resources, but above all in people and ideas, Francis had stressed this week.
“Leave behind the pessimism that paralyses. The Democratic Republic of the Congo expects from your hands a different future, for that future is in your hands,” he stressed. (dpa/NAN)
A.I
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