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Pope Francis General Audience Paul VI
Audience Hall – Wednesday, 8 February 2023
Catechesis. The Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan
“Stop exploiting Africa!”
Dear brothers and sisters,
Last week I visited two African countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
I thank God for allowing me to make this long-awaited journey.
Two “dreams”:
To visit the Congolese people, guardians of a vast country, the green lung of Africa: together with the Amazon, they are the two lungs of the world. A land rich in resources and bloodied by a war that never ends because there are always those who feed the fire.
And to visit the people of South Sudan, on a pilgrimage of peace together with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Moderator General of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields: we went together to witness that it is possible and necessary to work together in diversity, especially when we share faith in Jesus Christ.
I spent the first three days I was in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I renew my gratitude to the President and to the other authorities of the country for the welcome they have given me. Immediately upon my arrival, in the presidential palace, I was able to address a message to the nation. The Congo is like a diamond, by its nature, by its resources, especially by its people; But this diamond has become a source of conflict, violence, and paradoxically impoverishment of the people. It is a dynamic that is also found in other regions of African, and that is generally true of this continent: a continent colonized, exploited, plundered.
In the face of all this I said two words: the first is negative: “enough!”, stop exploiting Africa!
I have said other times that in the collective unconscious there is “Africa must be exploited”: enough of this! I said that.
The second is positive: together with dignity, all together, with mutual respect, together in the name of Christ, our hope, to move forward. Do not exploit each other, but move forward together.
And in the name of Christ we have gathered in the great Eucharistic celebration.
The various meetings were also held in Kinshasa: the one with the victims of violence in the east of the country, the region torn for years by the war between armed groups maneuvered by economic and political interests. I couldn’t go to Goma. The people there live in fear and insecurity, sacrificed on the altar of illegal business. I listened to the shocking testimonies of some victims, especially women, who placed weapons and other instruments of death at the foot of the cross. With them I said “no” to violence, “no” to resignation, “yes” to reconciliation and hope. They have suffered so much and continue to suffer.
Then I met with representatives of various charitable organizations present in the country, to thank and encourage them. Their work with the poor and for the poor is not noisy, but day after day it makes the common good grow. And above all with promotion: charitable initiatives must always be in the first place for promotion, not only for assistance but for promotion. Help, yes, but promotion.
An exciting moment was the one with the Congolese youth and catechists in the stadium.
It was like being immersed in the present projected towards the future.
Let us think of the power of renewal that this new generation of Christians, formed and animated by the joy of the Gospel, can bring!
To them, to the young people, I indicated five paths: prayer, community, honesty, forgiveness and service. To the young people of the Congo I said: this is your pay: prayer, community life, honesty, forgiveness and service. May the Lord hear their cry for peace and justice.
Then, in the cathedral of Kinshasa, I met priests, deacons, consecrated men and women and seminarians. They are numerous and young, because vocations are numerous: it is a grace of God. I urged them to be servants of the people as witnesses of Christ’s love, overcoming three temptations: spiritual mediocrity, worldly comfort and superficiality.
These temptations are universal, I would say, for seminarians and priests.
Of course, spiritual mediocrity, when a priest falls into mediocrity, is sad; worldly comfort, that is, worldliness, which is one of the worst evils that can happen to the Church; and superficiality.
Finally, I shared with the Congolese bishops the joy and the fatigue of pastoral ministry.
I invited them to be comforted by God’s closeness and to be prophets for the people, with the power of the Word of God, to be signs of how the Lord is, of the attitude that the Lord has with us: compassion, closeness and tenderness.
These are three ways in which the Lord does with us: he makes himself close – closeness – with compassion and tenderness. This is what I asked of the priests and bishops.
The second part of the trip took place in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, a state born in 2011. This visit had a very special character, expressed by the motto that echoed the words of Jesus: “I pray that they may all be one” (cf. Jn17: 21).
It was in fact an ecumenical pilgrimage of peace, carried out together with the heads of two Churches historically present in this country: the Anglican Communion and the Church of Scotland. It was the culmination of a journey that began a few years ago, and that will lead us to gather in 2019, with the South Sudanese authorities, to make a commitment to overcome the conflict and build peace. In 2019 there was a two-day spiritual retreat here, in the Curia, with all these politicians, with all these people who aspire to the posts, some enemies among them, but they were all in retreat. And that gave us strength to move forward. Unfortunately, the reconciliation process has not progressed so much, and the newborn South Sudan is a victim of the old logic of power, of rivalry, which produces war, violence, refugees and internally displaced persons.
I thanked the President very much for the welcome he gave us and for the way he is trying to walk this difficult road, to say “no” to corruption and arms trafficking and “yes” to meeting and dialogue. And this is shameful: so many so-called civilized countries are offering aid to South Sudan, and the aid consists of weapons, weapons, weapons to foment war. This is shameful. And yes, continue to say “no” to corruption and arms trafficking and “yes” to meeting and dialogue. Only in this way can there be development, people can work in peace, the sick can be treated, children can go to school.
The ecumenical character of the visit to South Sudan was particularly evident in the moment of prayer shared with our Anglican brothers and sisters and those of the Church of Scotland. Together we listened to the Word of God, together we offered prayers of praise, petitions and intercession. In a highly conflictual reality like that of South Sudan, this sign is fundamental, and it is not obvious, because unfortunately there are those who misuse the name of God to justify violence and abuse.
Brothers and sisters, South Sudan is a country of about 11 million people – small –, of these, two million are internally displaced because of armed conflicts, and the same number have fled to neighbouring countries. That is why I wanted to meet a large group of internally displaced persons, to listen to them and to make them feel the closeness of the Church.
In fact, Churches and organizations of Christian inspiration are on the front line with these poor people, who have been living in camps for displaced persons for years. In particular, I addressed the women – there are good women there – who are the force that can transform the country; and I encouraged everyone to be the seed of a new South Sudan, without violence, reconciled and pacified.
Then, in the meeting with the Pastors and consecrated persons of this local Church, we looked to Moses as a model of docility before God and perseverance in intercession.
And in the Eucharistic celebration, the last act of the visit to South Sudan and also of the whole journey, I echoed the Gospel by encouraging Christians to be “salt and light” in that troubled land. God does not put his hope in the great and powerful, but in the small and the humble.
And that is God’s way.
I thank the authorities of South Sudan, the President, the organizers of the trips and all those who put their efforts, their work to make the visit go well. I thank my brothers, Justin Welby and Iain Greenshields, for accompanying me on this ecumenical journey.
Let us pray that, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, and throughout Africa, the seeds of his kingdom of love, justice and peace will be sown.
