Kinshasa, January 30th, 2023 (CPA).-The evaluation of the devices put in place for the security of the pontiff, Pope Francis, and that of millions of Christians of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who will travel to welcome him was, Saturday, at the centre of a meeting held at the Primacy.
« It was a question of evaluating the arrangements put in place for the security of the Pontiff and that of the millions of Congolese who will have to travel to welcome him and attend the religious services planned on the sidelines of this great event, » said the Minister of Communication and Media, Patrick Muyaya, at the end of the meeting chaired by the Prime Minister.
« You know that we are three days away from the arrival of the Pontiff. The Prime Minister is the coordinator of the Preparatory Committee of this great event. With three days to go before this event, the Prime Minister wanted to bring together all the security services to take stock of the general situation in the country, but mainly, the preparations for the arrival of the Pontiff, » explained the Congolese government spokesman.
He added that it was, at the same time, a question of addressing all the remarks and observations that were made by the President of the Republic, during his tour of various sites in order to ensure that his guest is well received.
No closure of Gombe during the Pope’s stay
The Minister of Communication also denied all rumours circulating about the closure of the commune of Gombe during the stay of Pope Francis in Kinshasa.
« You have for example heard many rumours saying that the commune of Gombe will be closed. This is totally false. There will obviously be a zone around the Nunciature, not far from the Central Bank, which will have a security detail similar to that around the presidential site. Because the Pope is also a head of state. But for the rest, there is no need to panic, » he explained.
Patrick Muyaya stressed that traffic will be able to flow normally. « There is no question of reminding us of the months of confinement that the commune of Gombe has known in the past, » he said.
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