How can Pope Francis’s visit to Africa help the continent?

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The head of the Catholic church says foreign players should stop plundering Africa’s resources.

Pope Francis’s visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo comes as it struggles to contain worsening violence.

Eastern DRC has suffered unrest for years. But fighting has intensified and displaced one million people since the resurgence of the M23 armed group.

The pontiff will go on to South Sudan where civil war and conflict between rival ethnic groups is taking its toll on civilians.

What impact will his visit have on these states? And what future does Catholicism have in Africa?

Presenter: Sohail Rahman

Guests:

Christopher Lamb – Correspondent for weekly Catholic newspaper The Tablet

Massimo Faggioli – Church historian and professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University

Stan Chu Ilo – Research professor of Catholic and African studies at DePaul University

Occasional Digest