Pope Offers Message of Peace in Visit to DRC, South Sudan

Pope Offers Message of Peace in Visit to DRC, South Sudan

Pope Francis started a six-day trip to Africa on Tuesday.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church is visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. He was supposed to visit last summer, but postponed¹ the trip because of ongoing² problems with his legs.

Those who helped organize the trip said they hope the Pope's visit will bring international attention to the conflicts in both countries.

Francis spoke³ with the Associated Press last week. "Yes, Africa is in turmoil⁴," he said.

There is fighting in the eastern part of Congo. Government soldiers are fighting rebels and groups linked to the Islamic State. The Pope was supposed to go to the city of Goma to meet with a group from the area. But, the meeting site has been changed to Kinshasa, the capital.

Catholicism is growing in Africa. The religion is most common in Congo where followers⁵ make up half of the population. The country is home to thousands of Catholic clergy⁶ and other workers.

The Pope has visited Africa four other times in his 10 years as Church leader.

"We need to listen to their culture: dialogue, learn, talk, promote," Francis said.

The main event is Wednesday, when the Pope will lead a religious ceremony called a mass at Ndolo airport. About 2 million people are expected.

People from all over the country were coming to Kinshasa for the event. One man said he walked 45 minutes to the airport to see the Pope's arrival.

Jean-Louis Mopina said the Pope is like "a pilgrim sent by God."

President Felix Tshisekedi met with diplomats⁷ who came to Congo for Pope Francis' visit. The Congolese leader said the visit shows that the Vatican is concerned with the "acts of violence and intolerance that you are witnessing" in the eastern part of Congo. The World Food Program said the fighting has displaced 5.7 million people in recent years.

The local director of an Italian-based aid group said he hoped the Pope's visit "can bring a message of peace."

The second part of the Pope's trip will mark his first visit South Sudan, the world's youngest country. South Sudan is a majority Christian⁸ country where fighting has continued even after a 2018 peace plan to end a civil war.

There, the Pope will be joined by top Christian religious leaders from England and Scotland. The three are seeking to show united Christian support in helping⁹ South Sudan carry out the plan.

Paolo Impagliazzo is the leader of a group working on putting parts of the 2018 peace deal into place. He said one part – putting together an army made of government and opposition¹⁰ soldiers – has been "painfully slow."

He said the visit from the Pope and the other leaders "will bring hope to the people" and "strengthen the churches ... that are playing a critical role in bringing about peace and dialogue in South Sudan."

Words in This Story

turmoil –n. disorganization, fighting

dialogue –n. speaking between two or more groups or people

promote –v. to speak positively¹¹ about an idea

pilgrim –n. a religious traveler

intolerance –n. a lack of understanding or appreciation for an idea

1 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

5 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

6 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

7 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。