Pope calls for fighters to ’embrace mercy’ in visit to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Amna Nawaz:

Pope Francis has urged an end to the armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo at one of the largest masses ever.

The pope is in the Central African nation's capital, Kinshasa, for a three day visit to promote peace as he seeks to reshape the Catholic Church's global image.

Special correspondent Chris Ocamringa has our report.

Chris Ocamringa:

More than a million Congolese welcomed Pope Francis to the N'Dolo Airport in Kinshasa to celebrate mass.

Christella Bola, Attendee (through translator):

My joy is too huge, that I think I am going to cry. It is so marvelous that the pope has come to visit and it will mean reconciliation for our country.

Chris Ocamringa:

The Democratic Republic of Congo has the largest Catholic community in Africa. Half of its population of more than 100 million people are Catholics.

In this country that has known so much war and suffering, the pope's message of peace and reconciliation met open ears and hearts.

Vincent Kuka, Youth Commission President, Democratic Republic of Congo (through translator): We are very happy with the message the pope has brought to us. People came in big numbers, and we believe that his message will bring back peace in our country.

Chris Ocamringa:

The 86-year-old pontiff had planned to visit Goma in the country's east, but intense fighting made it unsafe. The U.N.s says there are more than 100 armed groups in that region. Today, the pope called the conflict to end.

Pope Francis, Leader of Catholic Church (through translator): May it be a good time for all of you in this country who call yourselves Christians but engage in violence. The lord is telling you, lay down your arms, embrace mercy.

Chris Ocamringa:

The pope's message of peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo comes at a time when thousands of people have been displaced by conflict in the country's east. The region is rich in minerals, which are being illegally exploited by armed groups.

Recent fighting between Congolese forces and the so-called M23 rebels in Eastern DRC has claimed many lives.

Kito Cesarine is a survivor.

Kito Cesarine, Conflict Survivor (through translator):

There's a lot of insecurity. Killings happen on a daily basis. And that has forced many people to flee their villages and settled in cities.

Chris Ocamringa:

This conflict is nothing new. It has been going on for close to three decades. The World Food Program says the fighting has displaced some 5.7 million people, a fifth of them last year alone.

Woman (through translator):

I ran away to a village called Kanyabayonga and Mugunga with a baby of 3 months in a past conflict. Bullets and bombs were falling all over. God helped me to escape. I vowed never to go back to Goma, even if the streets are littered with dollars.

Chris Ocamringa:

On Tuesday, the pope told wealthy nations to stop plundering the DRC's vast natural resources, saying that it is people that are more precious than the minerals in the earth beneath them.

Later today, Pope Francis heard painful accounts from the victims of the violence in the Eastern DRC and blessed those who'd survived massacres, kidnappings and rapes. It was the first papal pilgrimage here since 1985, when Pope John Paul II visited the country, then known as Zaire.

From DRC, the pope will travel to another war-weary nation, South Sudan, on Friday.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Chris Ocamringa in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo.