Pope Francis will begin
a tour of Africa on Wednesday that will take him through Kenya,
Uganda and Central African Republic during his first ever visit
to the continent.
Francis is going ahead with the November 25-30 journey
despite heightened fears for security in the wake of the terror
attacks in Paris. Safety is a particular concern in Central
African Republic, which has been mired in conflict since mainly
Muslim rebels overthrew the government in March 2013.
The journey is set to bring Francis face to face with
extreme poverty and humanitarian and refugee crises. During a
stop at the United Nations offices in Nairobi he is likely to
make a strong call to the international community and to the
people involved to help resolve these problems.
Francis is also expected to reaffirm his call for more
efforts to protect the environment ahead of the United Nations
Climate Change Conference beginning in Paris on November 30.
He is set to visit the Kangemi slum in Nairobi as well as a
refugee camp in Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic.
In Uganda, following in the footsteps of Pope Paul VI, he
will visit the sanctuaries in memory of martyred Christians at
Munyonyo and Namugongo.
He will also highlight inter-religious dialogue during the
trip, especially in Bangui, where the Interfaith Peace Platform
is seeking to build bridges between Christians and Muslims.
Another focus of the trip will be on youth. Francis has
planned meetings with young people in Kasarani stadium in
Nairobi and the Kololo Airstrip in Kampala.
While security measures are gaining a lot of attention,
Francis aims to present himself as a symbol of inter-religious
peace and dialogue, and an example of how to not let fear
control you.
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