Pope Francis this week started his 40th Apostolic Journey abroad and his fifth to Africa, leaving Tuesday for a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to the Republic of South Sudan.

“I greet with affection those beloved peoples who await me,” the pope said in a Jan. 30 tweet. “I ask everyone, please, to accompany this journey with their prayers."

According to Vatican News, Francis had arrived in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to begin his journey. This marks that city’s first visit from a pope since John Paul II's visit in 1985. His visit will take him to South Sudan before he returns to Italy on Friday. 

By the time he gets back, Francis will have visited 60 countries since the beginning of his papacy, according to Vatican News. Francis has visited other countries in Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, the Central African Republic in 2015 and Egypt in 2017. He then traveled to Morocco in March 2019, followed by Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius in September of the same year. Africa is home to about 20% of the world's Catholics, and that number is on the rise. 

During his visit, Francis will be meeting with President Felix Tshisekedi before addressing around 1,000 people, including political and religious leaders, according to Anadolu Agency. The pope is expected to call for a stop to the violence that has claimed the lives of millions over the last two decades, especially due to the dangerous conditions in Eastern Congo. There are plans for Francis to speak to thousands of young people, as well as meet with victims of violence from the turbulent eastern Congo.

The pontiff was to preside over an open-air liturgy expected to gather 1.5 million people to Kinshasa's secondary airport, N'Dolo, on Wednesday. Anadolu Agency reported that Kinshasa Province Police Commander Sylvano Kasongo called on 7,500 police personnel to ensure Francis' safety at the airport.