Pope Francis Says He’s “back to walking”, Looks Forward to Visiting Africa in February

He added, “This trip was planned for February. I was thinking of late January, but the climate isn’t the very best in January, and therefore, we are moving the trip to February. We are working on the trip and I will surely be able to meet you.”

Ms. Kavira was one of the nine students that presented talking points at the November 1 virtual Papal dialogue with African Catholic University students, seeking solidarity with the Holy Father in the challenges faced by the youths in Africa.

The virtual initiative that Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN) organized brought together students from 34 universities that were drawn from nine African countries. These were the DRC, Congo Brazzaville, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast.

In her presentation, Ms. Kavira narrated a moving account of how the Congolese had anticipated the visit of the Holy Father, and how their hope was crushed at the cancellation of the visit.

“Last July, the whole Congolese nation and we, the Congolese Catholic youth in particular, were looking forward to your visit impatiently. Unfortunately, your health situation did not allow you to travel to my country,” she said.

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Ms. Kavira added, “Many people believed that the war of the rebel groups that is ravaging the Eastern part of the country made you so afraid that you had to cancel your visit to Congo and South Sudan.”

“Holy Father, there is a lot of love and hope in our hearts and space in our hearts to welcome you. Are you still planning to come and comfort us? When will you come to meet all those women and mothers who have suffered rape, to express God’s compassion to them?” the Congolese Catholic student posed.

In his response to Ms. Kavira, Pope Francis admitted that he had been moved by the issues that the student raised, and challenged the young people in DRC to stand up to the vices in the country, including those perpetrated against women.

Addressing Ms. Kavira, the Holy Father said, “You handled your question by mentioning women who were raped, who were abused. Women are often protagonists of pain in Africa. They are often underestimated and subject to violence. I urge you to rebel against that!”

“Rebel so that you can truly achieve the freedom of women, and the dignity of women,” Pope Francis emphasized.

He added, “Women aren’t meant to be used. Women are those who give life to the people. They are mothers to the people and they are capable of working together. I urge you to do that.”

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.