Pope Francis urged Congo's young people to work for a peaceful and honest future on Thursday, getting a raucous response from a generation that has been particularly hard-hit by the country's chronic poverty, corruption and conflict.
Deafening cheers and chants greeted Francis on his last full day in Congo as he joined tens of thousands of young people at the Martyrs' Stadium in the capital, Kinshasa. The Vatican said more than 65,000 people attended.
"You see how it is to be in community, and be in one church?" he asked. "Your own well-being depends on the other." Closer to home, Francis urged the young in Kinshasa not to be tempted by drugs, corruption or quick-fix financial schemes or to be sucked into the violence tearing at eastern Congo. Some in the stadium on Thursday said the lack of jobs in Congo fueled the conflict since there are few other options for young men to earn money.
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