It is exactly in thirteen days that the pope will go to Kinshasa. In the Congolese capital, it is the general mobilization. On Tuesday, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, Archbishop of Kinshasa, paid a visit to the site of Ndolo where the Pope will celebrate the high mass.
With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Patient Ligodi
Traffic is suspended at Ndolo airport. The few planes and helicopters still visible here are neatly stored in hangars. A large part of the site has been transformed into a gigantic building site.
Jesus-Noël Sheke, technical coordinator of development works, is optimistic: ” With its 850,000 m², the site has the capacity to accommodate 1.5 million people. If 1.5 million compatriots traveled, they would find the place to follow the Mass well in the best conditions of access, sound and visibility. “, he promises.
Everything is big here, like this imposing podium of around 1500 m² which dominates the space. Accessible in particular by elevator, it is the main structure from which the pope will say his mass. According to the technical team, 75% of the work is already done.
” We have a first provisional and technical delivery on February 25. We are planning a general rehearsal on the site on the 27th of the month and a final one on January 30th. »
On the security side, it is the general mobilization, according to the Minister of Communication and Media Patrick Muyaya: ” All security services are mobilized. Apart from the Congolese security, there is the Swiss Guard which has already come to prospect and which will return in the coming days so that we can jointly share information and be sure that the site is safe from all cases of insecurity. »
To manage the crowds, thirty accesses are planned and, in terms of health, around twenty mobile clinics will be deployed.
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