On the second day of his visit to Congo, Pope Francis met with delegations of several charities. Some representatives of the Community of Sant'Egidio of Kinshasa and Kivu (Goma, Kikwit, Kenge), of the patients and activists of the DREAM Centre dedicated to Floribert Bwana Chui were among them.
Julien Neze, Director of the DREAM centre in Kinshasa, told the Pope about Dream's work in the Bibwa centre, which has been active for 11 years. It is an excellence for its state-of-the-art molecular laboratories and has allowed the birth of more than 1000 healthy babies. The Pope was offered a large painting by a patient in treatment at the centre, that shows the beauty of the centre.
Aline Minani and Jean Jacques Bakinahe, representing the Community of Goma, offered the Pope a book of drawings by the children of the School of Peace named after "Floribert Bwana Chui" whose biography they also gave to the Pope. These images express the drama of war, violence and the many refugees fleeing, but also the great hope for peace that has already been realised in the School of the Community.
Thanking for the gifts and testimonies, the Pope recalled that: "In this country, where the sound of violence is heard like the loud crash of a felled tree, you are the forest that quietly grows each day and makes the air clean and breathable. Naturally, a falling tree makes more noise, but God loves and blesses the generosity that silently sprouts and bears fruit, and he looks with joy upon all those who serve the needy."
The full video of the meeting (vaticannew.va)
