Pope Francis has arrived in Mozambique. He landed on Mozambican soil after 6 pm. Local media has played a very critical role in informing people about the visit of Pope Francis. Government, private and Church media have all been generally united and positive about the visit.
Paul Samasumo – Maputo, Mozambique
Most radio stations and television stations have in the last few days dedicated hours interviewing organisers, priests and government officials about the visit. The goodwill message of Pope Francis which he recorded on video has repeatedly been played on television.
The newspapers
Mozambique’s mass circulating daily newspaper, Noticias, which is government-owned and controlled, had Pope Francis as its main headline on the day of his arrival. Noticias speaks of Pope Francis walking on Mozambican soil and says that the nation expects the visit to have echoes long after he leaves Mozambique. The paper takes a more secular angle and hopes the visit will not only be a Church event but one that serves to strengthen democracy in the country.
The private daily O Pais also has Pope Francis prominent on the first page. The newspaper highlights the fact that the republican President, Filipe Nyusi, personally inspected all the venues where Pope Francis will be.
The influential weekly Savana perhaps on account of it being published earlier in the week was a little scarce with information of Pope Francis.
Other prominent newspapers such as Publico, Canale de Mozambique all mentioned Pope Francis but mostly stayed with local politics
