The World

Kinshasa warms up

The countdown to the arrival of Pope Francis in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo has begun and the final details of the preparations for the visit of the Holy Father are being finalized.

Alberto García Marcos-January 28, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes
kinshasa potato

When there is a big event in sight, the months are counted, then the days are counted, and finally the hours are counted. Well, we are already in that phase where we count the hours until the arrival of the Pope.

It must be said that the city took a while to wake up. Like the apostle Thomas, everyone was waiting to play "the tripThe Pope's words "with the hands, and see it with the eyes to believe. But, a few days before the Pope's arrival, the doubts have been dispelled. The Pope is coming to Congo and, more precisely, to its capital: Kinshasa.

The governor of the city has written a communiqué encouraging the citizens to make an effort to leave the city clean and to give a good welcome to the Pope. Catholic schools and parishes have divided the route to greet Francis as he passes from the airport to the Nunciature (25 kilometers). But not only Catholics want to see him. The Pope will pass through one of the most populated and lively neighborhoods of the city. The aerial view will be impressive, everyone wants to see the Holy Father.

A group of volunteers helps with preparations for the Pope's visit

After greeting the authorities at the Palace of the Nation, the Pope will go directly to the Nunciature, where the Luc Gillon Choir, which was born in the heart of the University of Kinshasa, will welcome him with their songs. A group of boys and girls dressed as the National soccer team of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the San Lorenzo team (the Pope's Argentinean soccer team) will welcome him with open arms.

The young people are organizing to spend the night at the Ndolo Airport, where the Pope will celebrate Mass. More than one hundred confessionals will be set up there to attend to all those who want to reconcile with God. Different choirs will enliven the evening with their songs. The Congolese have music in their blood, and singing always goes hand in hand with dancing. There will also be times for prayer, in particular, the four parts of the Holy Rosary.

At 7:30 a.m. the airport doors will close. The night will be busy and in the early hours of the morning the flow of people will continue, similar to that of an anthill before the rain. More than a million people are expected to attend the Mass. We pray that the rain will respect us and that among so many people, everything will go well.

– Supernatural Holy Mass Will it last an hour and a half. Alone? many ask. Well, it looks like it will, including the singing and communion. Everyone is intrigued, because here we are rather used to longer Masses.

The authorAlberto García Marcos

 Kinsasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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