During Mass, Pope Francis urges the people of Congo to forgive those who have harmed them
Fox News
Pope Francis hosted a Mass before an estimated 1 million people in Congo. Francis urged the people to forgive those who have harmed them.
The crowd cheered wildly when Francis began a languid loop around the airfields in his open-sided popemobile, as some people ran alongside or waved flags. Many women wore dresses and skirts made of pagne, a wax print fabric, featuring images of Francis or other religious symbols.
"Today I understand the enthusiasm of my grandmother when Pope John Paul II came," said Julie Mbuyi, a 45-year-old mother of two who wore a Francis-themed outfit. "She was so excited to see him and the night before she couldn’t close her eyes!"
The crowd cheered again when the Argentine pope greeted them in Lingala, one of four national languages of Congo that is widely spoken in the capital, Kinshasa. And they listened attentively as he urged them in his homily to open their hearts to forgiveness, citing the example of Christ who forgave those who betrayed him.