Pope Francis has today celebrated one of his biggest Masses, with around a million attendees in Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, estimates say.
Huge crowds started to gather in Kinshasa well before dawn, including scores of schoolgirls dressed in white who danced along the Pope’s route.
A public holiday was declared today so as many people as possible could attend.
Around half of DR Congo’s population is Catholic – the largest Catholic community in Africa.
It is more than 37 years since a pope had visited the mineral-rich but conflict-ridden country.
A 700-person choir, that had been practicing together long before the pontiff was originally due to visit last July, had been assembled specifically for the event. END