In his address to honour and greet the Pope, the Archbishop of Kisangani and president of the Congolese Bishops’ Conference, mgr. Monsengwo Pasinya, spoke of the "challenges" that the Congolese Church has to face. It is about a full reinstatement of "peace" after many years of civil war, the "education of lay devotees", "pastoral attention to the young", the "defence of women’s dignity and vocation" and the "economic and social promotion of the Country". The Pope replied to these urges by recalling the importance of the catechetical and spiritual education of the devotees (in particular, he spurred the bishops "to give a new lease of life to the sacrament of penance"); to continue working hard "along with the persons in charge of the other religious confessions to offer fruitful civics to their citizens"; to commit themselves so that the Christian community "may give a specific contribution to the common good and to the strengthening of the constitutional state". Finally, he spoke of the importance of the use of mass-media for evangelisation, urging them to give "special attention and pastoral priority" to the family, the young (especially he said "street children and children soldiers") and the many people affected by AIDS. Finally, he made the wish that "all those who are in charge of a country’s fate may act in mutual agreement and in a responsible manner to achieve long-lasting peace".
