His visit is historic and eagerly awaited.
Tuesday, January 31, for his fortieth apostolic journey, Pope Francis travels to the African continent.
First stop on this trip: Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A four-day visit with multiple challenges in this Central African country, and not least, the DR Congo being the largest Catholic country on the continent.
This trip was originally scheduled to take place in July 2022. But it had been postponed, according to the Vatican, due to pain in the knee of the sovereign pontiff, now 86 years old.
This visit is the first for a pope in the country since John Paul II... 37 years ago.
According to our correspondent in Kinshasa, Aurélie Bazzara-Kibangula, Pope Francis should arrive in the Congolese capital around 3 p.m.
He will meet President Félix Tshisekedi, civil society and religious representatives of the country.
One of the most anticipated stages of this visit should be the high mass scheduled for Wednesday at Ndolo airport.
More than a million faithful are expected there.
Still according to our correspondent, the sovereign pontiff will not go to Goma (North Kivu), in the east of the country, as initially planned.
As a reminder, the North Kivu region has been the scene of armed violence for several years.
01:51
"To draw the attention of the world to what is happening"
"For Congolese Catholics, the Pope's visit appears as a kind of comfort in a context with many problems, a lot of misery, a lot of tension, especially with the conflict in the East", explains Wamu Oyatambwe, political scientist and specialist in DR Congo.
He continues: "Many expect the pope's visit to draw the world's attention to what is happening" in the country.
"The reason why Pope Francis is going to DR Congo is to draw attention to a conflict that people are tired of," adds Douglas Yates, professor at the American University of Paris and specialist in the Africa.
"Within civil society, many actors hope that the pope will challenge political actors on their irresponsibility in the management of affairs", continues Wamu Oyatambwe.
But on the political side, expectations are "different, sometimes divergent".
"In the camp of the presidency, for example, this visit is presented as a diplomatic triumph; in the opposition, on the other hand, it is said that the visit should not be exploited for political purposes", insists the specialist.
DR Congo, a "bastion of Catholicism in sub-Saharan Africa"
This visit by the Pope to the “first Catholic country in Africa in terms of number of faithful (…) represents recognition of the importance of this great Congolese Church within the Catholic community”, considers Wamu Oyatambwe.
“DR Congo is one of the bastions of Catholicism in sub-Saharan Africa, it is worth investing in. There is a growing rivalry with evangelical Protestantism which is spreading not only on the continent but also throughout the developing world. “, adds Douglas Yates.
The latter explains that in the DR Congo, the bishops “are considered a moral force, not only in conflicts but also in the fight against corruption and in the maintenance of democracy. The voice of the pope can reinforce this role. will not influence the warlords in the East, but his voice counts for tens of millions of other Congolese", adds the expert.
"The Church is a real counter-power in DR Congo", underlines Stéphane Ballong, editor-in-chief of the Africa service of France 24, recalling that the country is also in an election year, "the date of the general elections having been fixed around the December 20 next.
04:22
On Friday, once his visit to DR Congo is over, the pontiff will travel further north to South Sudan, a land scarred by bloody years of civil war.
This visit will end on Sunday.
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