Upon his arrival at the Kinshasa International Airport, the 86-year-old Supreme Pontiff was received by a large crowd of faithful and supporters, along with Congolese authorities, local media reported.

After his arrival, the pope greeted this beautiful journey to Africa, his fifth stay on this continent.

The Supreme Pontiff, who is visiting the DRC for the first time, has a tight schedule in this central African country, in which, of its nearly 100 million inhabitants, more than half profess the Catholic religion.

According to United Nations data, there are currently some 5.7 million displaced people in the Democratic Congo, while another 26 million suffer from extreme hunger.

In accordance with the planned program, the high religious authority will be in the country until next Friday, before embarking on a trip to South Sudan, where he will remain until the coming day 5.

ef/ro/obf