Canopy draping platform created for Pope in Congo collapse

• A canopy that was draping a platform created for the pope in Kinshasa, Congo, has collapsed.
• The pontiff is set to arrive in the capital on Tuesday afternoon.
• Authorities are working to fix the canopy in time for the event.

Three days before Pope Francis is scheduled to arrive there for a public event, a canopy that was draping a platform created for him in a Kinshasa stadium fell overnight after a strong storm, Congo authorities reported on Monday.

Francis is set to arrive in the capital city of Kinshasa on Tuesday afternoon and give a speech to young people and catechists there on Thursday morning.

According to Kinshasa police commander Sylvano Kasongo, the canopy was being fixed on Monday.

“It’s the structure and the gyproc (plasterboard) decoration that collapsed but the podium is still in place and work is underway to get everything back in order,” he said.

In Kinshasa, torrential downpours and violent gusts are commonplace.

Social media users shared images of the canopy with one half on the stage and the other still in the air.

On Monday, reporters were not permitted inside the stadium. It was being watched over by soldiers from the Garde Republicaine, an elite military organization tasked with guarding the president of the Congo and state institutions.

As part of a tour of the locations where the pope would be present, interior minister Daniel Aselo Okito stopped by the stadium on Monday. He stated in a statement that he anticipated the renovations to be accomplished in time for the event on Thursday.

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