AFRICA/DR. CONGO – Missionary Sister in Eastern Congo thanks the Holy Father: “Our pain, our hope matter”

Kinshasa – “It was a wonderful surprise to hear that, given the many difficult situations, the Pope dedicated his thoughts and words on Sunday, January 18, to the displaced people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, especially the approximately 200,000 people living in refugee camps under makeshift tarpaulins in Burundi, struggling with the rainy season, lack of food and medical care, and daily deaths,” Sister Teresina Caffi, a Xaverian missionary in South Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, told Fides.
After the Angelus prayer on Sunday, January 18, Pope Leo XIV said: “Today, I would like to recall in particular the great suffering of the people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many have been forced to flee their country – especially to Burundi – due to violence, and they are facing a serious humanitarian crisis. Let us pray that dialogue for reconciliation and peace may always prevail among the parties in conflict.” Sister Teresina affirms that the difficult situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has always been close to the Holy Father’s heart. “Last November,” the nun recalls, “the Pope assured Néné Bintu Iragi, the exiled president of the South Kivu Civil Society Coordination Office , that he carried DRC in his heart and in his prayers.”
“To be mentioned in this world means to exist, to deserve attention and dignity. I believe that the Pope’s words resonated in the ears and hearts of the Congolese who heard them: Our pain, our hope, matter!” Sister Teresina emphasizes.
The missionary concludes by pointing to the role of the media in keeping the forgotten conflict in eastern DRC alive: “I hope that the Pope’s appeal will encourage the media to refocus their attention on this protracted tragedy in eastern DRC.” “Thirty years of wars of varying intensity should now allow for a clear analysis of the facts and foster the courage to take decisive action. This is still lacking, at the local, regional, continental, and international levels,” Sister Teresina continues. Despite the announcement of peace agreements , the situation in the three eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo remains dramatic. Particularly in South Kivu, the M23 movement rebels, after capturing the capital Bukavu on February 16 , also seized Uvira , forcing a large portion of the population to flee to neighboring Burundi.

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