Congo’s Catholic bishops, coping with disappointment over a scrubbed visit by Pope Francis, said Saturday that his decision to go ahead with a trip to Canada was an “encouraging sign” that his knee treatment was working, as they held out hope for a rescheduled date.
In the meantime, Francis is sending the Vatican secretary of state to Congo to celebrate a special Mass for peace and reconciliation next weekend, when Francis was due to have arrived, said Bishop Donatien Nshole, secretary general of the Congolese bishops conference.
