The Holy See Press Office published this Saturday, May 28, the official program of Pope Francis’ trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, which will take place between July 2 and 7.
Arrival on July 2
On this 37th apostolic visit, the Holy Father will depart at 9:30 a.m. from Rome Fiumicino airport for Kinshasa, the capital of the Congo.
Pope Francis will land after a six-and-a-half-hour flight at Ndjili International Airport.
After the traditional welcome ceremony at the so-called “Palais de la Nation”, he will pay a courtesy visit to President Félix Tshisekedi in the Presidential Hall and will also meet with the diplomatic corps in the Palace garden.
Later, Pope Francis will have a private meeting with local Jesuits at the Apostolic Nunciature.
The next day, Sunday, July 3, the pope will celebrate his first Mass at 8 a.m. at the Ndolo airport, in Kinshasa, and later he will pray the Angelus.
In the afternoon, at 6 p.m., Pope Francis will meet with bishops, priests, religious and seminarians at the “Notre Dame du Congo” cathedral.
On Monday, July 4, Pope Francis will travel to Nord-Kiwu, a province in the extreme east of the country, where the Italian ambassador Luca Attanasio was assassinated in the town of Kibumba on February 22, 2021.
Visit to the victims of Beni
Once there, Pope Francis will celebrate a Mass at 12 a.m. in the Kibumba camp and in the afternoon, at 17 p.m., he will meet with the victims of violence in Beni, the second-largest city in North Kivu affected by the Ebola epidemic, natural disasters and numerous conflicts that have generated kidnappings, looting and executions by the army.
Pope Francis will listen to the victims of these tragedies at the Reception Center of the Diocese of Goma. Until 6:30 p.m., when he will go to the airport to return to Kinshasa.
Arrival in South Sudan
On Tuesday, July 5, Pope Francis will travel to South Sudan. Although before reaching the capital (Juba), he will meet with a group of young people and catechists at the Martyrs’ Stadium.
Once in Juba, he will go to the Presidential Palace for a courtesy visit to President Salva Kiir Mayardi and then he will meet with the vice presidents of South Sudan and in the garden of the Presidential Palace with the authorities and the diplomatic corps, where he will make a speech.
On the morning of Wednesday, July 6, at 8:45 a.m., Pope Francis will visit the displaced in the Juba “Internally Displaced Persons Camp”.
Later, at 11:30 a.m., he will meet privately with the South Sudanese Jesuits at the Apostolic Nunciature.
After a break and in the afternoon, the Pontiff will meet at 5 p.m. with bishops, priests and religious in the cathedral of Santa Teresa.
At 18.30 p.m. he will preside over the ecumenical prayer at the “John Garang” Mausoleum, a monument dedicated to the late leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and first vice president of Sudan after the peace accords.
Return to Rome
Pope Francis will return to this Mausoleum the next day, July 7, to celebrate the last mass of the trip at 8 a.m.
At 10:45 a.m., Pope Francis will travel to the airport for his farewell ceremony. Departure for Rome is scheduled at 11:15 a.m., landing in Fiumicino at 6:05 p.m.
Adapted from ACI Prensa