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… Francis has returned to Rome after his six-day apostolic trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, the words he left there will resonate across the continent for a long time, church leaders and experts say. Catholic bishops in Congo said the words of the Holy Father not only comforted but shook up the continent, reviving … "economic colonialism" and called out developed nations against the wanton exploitation of Congo’s vast mineral resources. "Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off …

… Feb. 8 to sharing with visitors and pilgrims the highlights of his visit Jan. 31-Feb. 3 to Congo and his ecumenical pilgrimage to South Sudan Feb. 3-5 with Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby … that God is the Father and always wants only life and the good of his children," Francis said. Congo, he told the crowd, is "a land rich in resources and bloodied by a war that never ends, …

… Prayer was moved closer to Communion, the kiss went along with it. During the pope's visit to Congo, we may have seen a different arrangement of the Liturgy of the Word. The Congolese Rite …

… Martyrs … Pope Francis’ appeals for peace during his trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan have focused world attention on the complexities of nation building and …

… The pope’s remarks came at the end of his six-day African visit to the  Democratic Republic of Congo  and  South Sudan , where he was joined by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and … are children of God," said Francis when asked his reaction to families, including those in Congo and South Sudan, who ostracize their LGBTQ family members, often citing their Christian … rates in the world — Francis repeated his condemnation of nations that exploit and plunder Congo’s minerals, taking advantage of its near-permanent state of instability and fueling war …

… the fledgling capital of Juba, following a three-day visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, both Welby and Greenshields made their way onto the aircraft for a private greeting with …

… principal socio-political reality that threatens Africa. In his first address upon arriving in Congo on Jan. 31, he denounced the exploitation of the continent's vast resources: "Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa: It is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be … there are tribal rivalries that serve as conduits for the violence in the eastern part of the Congo, the pope made a connection that is too easily overlooked in some Western accounts of the …

… — with some people seated near the country's political leaders turning to directly face Congo's top power brokers as they joined in the chorus.  "If someone offers you a bribe, or … — the largest sporting arena in the country — on the final full day of his visit here in Congo's capital.  In a country where some 67% of the population is under age 24, the 86-year-old …

… on Feb. 1 decried the "insatiable greed" fueling decades of continuing violence in eastern Congo, and spotlighted the plight of more than five million people who have been forced to flee … and both begged God for an end to the country's violence and blasted those who profit from Congo's instability. "To every family that grieves or is displaced by the burning of villages and …

… his arrival on Jan. 31, when he issued a blistering criticism of world powers that exploit Congo's expansive natural resources, as well as the country's own divided leaders whose … to my grandchildren." According to official Vatican statistics, Catholics make up over half of Congo's population of some 95 million, on a continent where the faith is growing more rapidly …

… its people of a "future of peace and prosperity." "Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo!" Francis declared upon his arrival here in the Congolese capital city of Kinshasa. "Hands … for breath," he lamented. The pope, going off script, added that the Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered a "forgotten genocide." Francis centered his nearly 20-minute remarks around … of the 19th century, European explorers began to seize major swaths of land surrounding the Congo River, claiming an estimated eight to ten million local lives during their conquests. In …