Part of stage built for the Pope’s visit collapses

Pope Francis‘ visit is the first by a pontiff to the Democratic Republic of Congo since that of John Paul II in 1985. But the incident that occurred in the Martyrs Stadium in Kinshasa the day before his arrival, is causing some people to cringe: the stage from which he is due to speak on Thursday has collapsed and is damaged.

According to the authorities, this incident was due to a storm that hit the city during the night. Patrick Muyaya, the government spokesman, told Top Congo FM:

“A bad weather event is a natural phenomenon. […] What fell down was not the podium. It was the metal structure for the lights. […] Everything is being done to put it back in place.”

In fact, repairs were launched the same day, according to Edmond Izuba, a Congolese journalist who will be covering the pope’s visit. He too says that the structure collapsed due to strong winds.

The company E-Proxy has been charged with setting up the various sites where the pope will visit, including the Martyrs Stadium, and is therefore supposed to repair the podium.

At a press briefing the evening of January 30, Jesus-Noël Sheke, the head of the company, said that one of the structures had been „bent“ by the weather. He also said that it was installed according to FIFA standards – not allowing damage to the stadium – and Vatican standards – involving the use of structures „that weigh a lot“. He also said that work had started on the same day.