SW News: Pope Francis welcomed the faithful and a group of pilgrims from the Democratic Republic of the Congo as he finished the General Audience on Wednesday.

The Holy Father urged everyone to pray for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Pope Francis is scheduled to travel to the Congo on January 31 for a three-day visit.

The Holy Father will meet residents from the east and victims of the conflict in Kinshasa; however, he won't travel to Goma.

The tour was going to include a stop in Goma, the capital of North Kivu, when it was initially planned for July. A new wave of assaults in several areas of North Kivu prompted the Vatican to cancel that portion of the journey. As more than 120 armed groups and self-defense militias battle for territory and power, violence has plagued eastern Congo for decades. According to the United Nations, about 6 million people are internally displaced, and hundreds of thousands are suffering from severe food insecurity.

He expressed his sorrow over the storming of a Pentecostal church in the eastern city of Kasindi during the attack on Sunday. At least 14 people were killed and more than 40 others were injured in the explosion that shook the church's courtyard.

The Holy Father also shared his closeness to all the families touched by the tragedy. Father Isaac Achi, a priest for the Diocese of Minna in northern Nigeria who was burned alive by unidentified gunmen last Sunday, is among the many Christians who have suffered, and Pope Francis asked everyone to remember them in their prayers.

The Holy Father said, “The images and the testimonies of this tragic episode are a powerful appeal to our consciences. No one can remain indifferent!”

After that, the Pope spoke of battered Ukraine, urging everyone to remember the people in their prayers since they greatly need closeness, consolation, and above all peace. Pope Francis denounced the weekend missile attack on an apartment complex in the eastern city of Dnipro that left 45 people dead on Wednesday. The pope’s upcoming trip to Africa will give an opportunity for him to further highlight the ongoing violence against Christians in the region.

He mentioned the most recent missile attack last Saturday in Ukraine, killing and injuring many civilians, including children, and said he understands the families' heartbreaking anguish.

According to media sources, a Russian missile strike on a building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Saturday left 45 people dead and 79 injured. Nineteen people are still unaccounted for.