More than a million people attended Pope Francis' mass in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday.

Believers had slept in front of the N'Dolo airport in Kinshasa in order to be admitted in time and not to miss the arrival of the Pope in his "Popemobile".

Choirs with several hundred members sang and danced.

Elsewhere, in malls, shops, taxis, many people followed the fair on their cell phones.

Everyday life was largely at a standstill, even the otherwise completely congested streets were free.

Claudia Bröll

Political correspondent for Africa based in Cape Town.

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The day before, the head of the Catholic Church had spoken clearly from the heart of many in Congo.

“Hands off Africa.

Stop suffocating Africa.

It is not a mine to be exploited, nor land to be plundered," he said after landing.

He spoke of the "poison of greed" that leads to so many conflicts.

"Great Amnesty of the Heart"

In Congo, such sentences are particularly well received.

The country's history is marked by exploitation, wars and, more recently, attacks by rebel groups and rampant corruption.

Around 120 rebel groups are active in the east of the country, which is six and a half times the size of Germany.

Since the end of 2021, tensions with the government of neighboring Rwanda have also intensified.

Both accuse each other of supporting rebel groups.

The Pope also addressed African leaders such as Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi.

People are "infinitely more valuable than all natural resources," he recalled.

Governments must act in the interests of the people.

But he also criticized the "economic colonialism" of international corporations and other states.

Africa deserves to be respected and listened to, the Pope said at the same time on Twitter.

"Let Africa be the protagonist of its destiny." Referring to the "bloodshed" in Congo, he called on the international community not to get used to it, adding during Wednesday's mass that the warring factions should forgive each other and unite their opponents grant "great amnesty of the heart".

The trip of the 86-year-old pope was already planned in July last year, but had to be postponed for various reasons.

Apparently, despite the hardships, Francis was very keen on a visit.

Congo is one of the countries with the largest Catholic population in Africa.

According to the Bishops' Conference there, about 40 percent of the 90 million inhabitants are Catholic.

The church takes on many state tasks, is particularly heavily involved in the humanitarian, social and educational sectors, but also plays an extremely active political role.