Pope Francis in Congo and South Sudan

A blog post from a senior fellow from the Council on Foreign Relations attacking the pope's diagnosis of the causes of African underdevelopment doesn't tell the whole story says Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese.

Before the pope and other leaders arrived in South Sudan, two ecumenical rallies brought out about 500 people ages 15-35 for joint prayer, music and art collaboration. Now, after the visit, the unifying effort continues.

Francis, the comic strip: Francis is worn out from his latest papal trip.

In a press conference aboard the papal plane, Pope Francis addressed recent moves by his critics and joined leaders of two other Christian churches in condemning the criminalization of LGBTQ persons.

"Those who claim to be believers should have nothing more to do with a culture based on the spirit of vengeance," Pope Francis said at an ecumenical prayer service in Juba, South Sudan, Feb. 4.

Ongoing flooding in South Sudan is causing people to move into regions traditionally populated by members of other ethnic groups. That leads to competition for land and resources that fuels ethnic tensions.

Pope Francis, the archbishop of Canterbury and the moderator of the Church of Scotland arrived in South Sudan on Feb. 3 in an historic ecumenical visit, offering a joint and impassioned appeal for peace. "No more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence," Francis begged in remarks outside the presidential palace.

NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters speaks to Steven Nabieu Rogers of the Africa Faith & Justice Network about Pope Francis' visit to Congo and how ample resources in Africa often turn into the curse of powerlessness and poverty.

Pope Francis on Feb. 2 urged 65,000 Congolese young people to resist the "poisonous temptation" of corruption that has long plagued the nation and to choose a different future for themselves. 

In an emotional meeting with victims and internally displaced persons, Pope Francis listened to unfiltered accounts of their harrowing recent past, lamenting for those who benefit from the violence to "stop getting rich from resources and money stained with blood."

At a Mass including more than one million participants, Pope Francis on Feb. 1 urged war-weary Congolese Catholics to be a "conscience of peace" as Africa's most populous Catholic nation struggles against ongoing armed conflict and entrenched ethnic divisions.

Kicking off a trip to two African nations Jan. 31, the pope warned world leaders and warring ethnic groups to stop exploiting Africa's vast natural resources and depriving its people of a "future of peace and prosperity."

Catholic environmental experts and advocates hope Pope Francis' visit to the Congo draws attention to how competition for the country's minerals harms the environment and the people.

The pope will undertake one of the most strenuous trips of his papacy when he travels to Congo and South Sudan Jan. 31-Feb. 5.

Pope Francis will be visiting a country in turmoil and blighted by the "demons of tribalism, nepotism, regionalism and clientelism," the deputy secretary-general of the Congolese bishops' conference.

Francis, the comic strip: Gabby gets ready to travel to Congo and South Sudan with Francis.

Pope Francis' much anticipated and twice delayed trip to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo is back on, the Vatican announced on Dec. 1.