Pope makes peace appeal during Congo visit: 'No room for hatred'

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Pope Francis (C), seated on a wheelchair, arrives at the N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on January 31, 2023. - Pope Francis landed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, hailing his beautiful trip to Africa as he comes bearing a message of peace to the conflict-torn nation, before heading to troubled neighbour South Sudan (Photo by Alexis Huguet / AFP)
KINSHASA (Democratic Republic of the Congo) - Pope Francis made an appeal for peace and an end to bloody conflicts at the very beginning of his Africa tour in Congo.

"May violence and hatred no longer find room in the heart or on the lips of anyone, since these are inhuman and unchristian sentiments that arrest development and bring us back to a gloomy past," the pontiff said in Kinshasa during a meeting with politicians, civil society representatives and diplomats, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Congo has been wracked by conflict for decades. Recently, violence escalated, especially in the east of the country, where rebels increasingly carried out attacks and killed many people. - Bernama