‘Hands Off Africa,’ Pope Francis Tells Rich World

AFRICA – Pope Francis denounced the “Poison of greed” driving conflicts in Africa as he began a visit to Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday, saying the rich world had to realise that people were more precious than the minerals in the earth beneath them.

Many tens of thousands of people cheered as he travelled from the airport into the capital in his popemobile, with some breaking away to chase it while others chanted and waved flags.

Congo has some of the world’s richest deposits of diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, tin, tantalum and lithium, but those have stoked conflict between militias, government troops and foreign invaders.