Africa a continent of hope, Pope says in Uganda

Pope Francis has said “the world looks to Africa as the continent of hope” and that his tour of the continent is aimed at drawing attention to Africa’s achievements and struggles. Pope Francis landed in Uganda Friday on the second leg of a landmark trip to Africa, with choirs and dancers waiting to greet him. The Pontiff was received at Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, government officials and local church leaders. Francis, who arrived from Kenya and also is scheduled to visit Central African Republic, is in Uganda mainly to honour the memory of a group of Ugandan Christians who were killed in the late 19th century on the orders of a local king eager to thwart the growing influence of Christianity. Those victims, known as the Uganda Martyrs, include 45 Anglicans and Catholics killed between 1885 and 1887. Pope Paul VI canonized the 22 Ugandan Catholics in 1964. The pope will celebrate a mass on Saturday at a shrine dedicated to the Catholic martyrs, and he will visit an Anglican shrine dedicated to the martyrs. In a speech before Ugandan authorities and diplomats at State House, Entebbe, Francis touched upon issues he raised while in Kenya, such as the need to respect one another regardless of differences. Francis also spoke about the Uganda Martyrs, the group of Catholics and Anglicans killed in the late 19th century by a local king eager to assert his authority amid the growing influence of missionaries. He said of the martyrs: “They remind us of the importance that faith, moral rectitude and commitment to the common good have played, and continue to play, in the cultural, economic and political life of this country.” Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986 and who’s campaigning for re-election in 2016, gave no remarks. The 78-year-old pontiff arrived in Uganda after three days in neighbouring Kenya, where vast crowds turned out to an open air mass, and where the pontiff lashed out at corruption and wealthy minorities who hoard resources at the expense of the poor. Francis travels to Central African Republic on Sunday.

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Africa a continent of hope, Pope says in Uganda