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In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press at the Vatican, just a week before scheduled visits to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, Pope Francis condemned the international community’s “colonial spirit” towards Africa.
“There are historical and geographical realities. In Italian we say ‘Africa va fruttata’. So Africa is meant to be exploited. And it remains a kind of colonialist mentality,” Francis said on Tuesday.
He pointed out the problem of attitudes towards the African continent.
“There’s a sort of colonial mentality… that remains,” Francis said.
“It’s a matter of our attitudes, it’s a matter of them not yet having the courage to be fully independent.”
Earlier in January, Francis paid tribute to the victims of the bombing of Pentecostal churches in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
At least 14 people were killed and more than 60 injured in attacks claimed by Islamist militants.
Francis is due to arrive in Kinshasa, the capital of the Congo, on January 31st for a three-day visit.
When originally scheduled for July, the trip was to include a stop in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
The Vatican has scrapped its itinerary amid a new wave of attacks in parts of North Kivu province.
A Continent Suffering from a “Civil War”
Violence has ravaged eastern Congo for decades as more than 120 armed groups and self-defense militias fight for land and power.
“Africa is in turmoil,” Francis said of the “civil wars” plaguing the continent.
“We are also suffering from an invasion of exploiters,” he added.
In Tuesday’s AP interview, Francis also addressed the issue of “tribalism” in Africa.
“Tribalism is also very strong. To appoint a bishop in a diocese, for example, you have to be careful to make sure you belong to a group, not a tribe,” he said. When I visited Kenya, the crowd repeatedly chanted ‘no to tribalism’.
“It was a scream from the whole stadium. They’re feeling that difficulty themselves. It’s people who are strengthening themselves more and more in their freedom.”
Fighting is exacerbating a dire humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo.
According to the United Nations, about six million people are internally displaced and hundreds of thousands face extreme food insecurity.
Although not going to Goma, Francis will meet with eastern residents and victims of the conflict in Kinshasa.
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