Democratic Republic of the Congo Minister of Communications and government spokesman Patrick Moya confirmed that the safety of Pope Francis, who is expected to visit the country in early July next year, will be guaranteed throughout the visit, especially in Goma. in the east, where there has recently been heavy fighting with a rebel group.

During a press conference, he explained that “the choice of this site epitomizes the meaning of this visit, and the site has had a volcanic eruption and there have also been frequent intrusions,” emphasizing that “security is a fundamental issue.”

In late May, fighting broke out between Congolese forces and the March 23 Movement on several fronts in the troubled North Kivu region in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the border with Rwanda.

Pope Francis is due to visit Kinshasa on the second of July, traveling to Goma on the fourth of the same month, where he will celebrate Mass in the north of the city at the foot of the Nyiragogo volcano, the last eruption of which dates back to May 2021.