The Sunday Mail
POPE Francis kicked off his first-ever visit to Africa today, calling on civil authorities to resist corruption and to protect natural resources, while pressing for greater economic equality in order to stem the recent outburst of terrorist attacks.
“Experience shows that violence, conflict, and terrorism feed on fear, mistrust, and the despair born of poverty and frustration,” Francis said in the wake of attacks that, in addition to the one in Paris, have plagued the Middle East and Africa.
But he punctuated his speech to civil authorities with optimism, calling Kenya “a young and vibrant nation, a richly diverse society which plays a significant role in the region.”
“Like Kenya, [many other African nations] are working to build on the solid foundations of mutual respect, dialogue and cooperation, [for] a multiethnic society which is truly harmonious, just and inclusive,” Francis said in Nairobi’s State House.
Welcoming Francis, Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta said, “We’ve been divided by our ethnic composition.”
Yet, he said, even “at the heart of conflict there is a desire for human dignity.”
Kenyatta praised the Church for its role in national life. Francis highlighted one of the issues that has come to define his pontificate, the environment.
He called for “an ever greater sensibility to the relationship between human beings and nature,” to counteract the “grave environmental crisis” the world is facing.
“We have a responsibility to pass on the gifts we have received,” the pontiff said.
Francis is the first pope to dedicate an entire encyclical letter, Laudato Si’, to the environment. He’s scheduled to address Nairobi’s headquarters of the United Nations on Friday, where he’s widely expected to echo his September pitch he made to the UN General Assembly in New York to protect creation.
He said, “there is a clear link between the protection of nature and the building of a just and equitable social order.”
Towards the end of his opening address, Francis told political, cultural, and economic leaders that they have a special responsibility, “a true calling,” in service to the Kenyan people.
Kenya is the first stop of Pope Francis November 25-30 trip in Africa that will also take him to Uganda and the Central African Republic.- Crux
