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Before an audience of 183 diplomats, Pope Francis delivered his New Year’s address. In this speech, he also outlined his international priorities for 2023 and assessed current conflicts.
In an address to the Holy See-appointed diplomatic corps on Monday (January 9), Francis emphasized his “concerns” about a particular conflict in Africa.
In fact, there are only a few weeks left until his visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on January 31st.
His trip to the African country with the largest Catholic population was originally scheduled to welcome the Pope last July.
Francis’ desire to come as a “Pilgrim of Peace” remained unchanged.
However, his itinerary was forced to change. Peter’s successors will no longer visit the eastern part of the country, which has been plagued by armed violence.
Tens of thousands of Congolese have fled, many heading to Goma, amid renewed clashes between government forces and M23 rebels in the mineral-rich eastern Congo. A ceasefire to end the latest fighting was supposed to go into effect last week.
In Kinshasa, he plans to parade down Lumumba Boulevard to the Presidential Palace. It is there that the Pope delivers his first speech on the land of the Congo.
Six sites have been selected for this Pope’s visit. The most important event is Mass, celebrated the day after his arrival. It will be held at the military airport of Ndolo. This is the only open site that can hold over 1 million people.
crisis in africa
The 86-year-old bishop has joined the cry for peace of the people of South Sudan.
After a trip to Congo from 31st January to 31st February. On Saturday, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the right-wing Reverend Iin Greenshields, Master of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, will join the first-ever ecumenical peace trip by three Christian leaders. From 3rd to 5th February to Juba, South Sudan.
There, the three celebrate ecumenical worship together and meet with displaced people from South Sudan.
On Monday, Francis also expressed concern over the crisis experienced by Burkinabeans, Malians and Nigerians.
He hoped the ongoing transition process would take place in Sudan, Mali, Chad, Guinea and Burkina Faso “Respecting the legitimate wishes of the people concerned”
The Pope also urged universal recognition of religious freedom.
Reform of multilateral institutions
On multilateralism, he pointed to a model in crisis: “The current conflict in Ukraine makes the crisis that has long affected the multilateral system all the more evident, and the need to respond adequately to contemporary challenges. need to deeply rethink the multilateral system.”
“This calls for organizational reforms that enable organizations to function effectively so that they can truly represent the needs and sensitivities of all people, giving weight to some and to others. We demand that we avoid procedures that harm people, which is not the case: it is not about creating coalitions, but about giving everyone the opportunity to become partners in dialogue.”
He therefore called for it to be reformed. It’s not about creating coalitions, it’s about providing opportunities for all to become partners in dialogue.
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