Pope Francis with President of the DRC, Felix Tshisekedi. (Photo: AFP)

Kinshasa Governor Gentiny Ngobila told the BBC that the main city center will be tidied up, with street vendors and abandoned vehicles removed from roads connecting to the Kinshasa International Airport.

In December 2022, the Vatican announced for the second time, that Pope Francis will visit the DR Congo and South Sudan from January to February this year.

85-year-old Francis would be accompanied to the two war-torn neighbors by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

The long-awaited visit of the Pontiff was canceled in July this year due to health problems.

It will mark the first time a pope has visited the world’s youngest nation, and only the second papal visit to the Congo, which is home to Africa’s largest Catholic population.