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Pope’s trip to Africa gets underway

Francis expected to focus on interfaith issues, tensions

By Kevin Sieff, The Washington Post
Published: November 25, 2015, 12:56pm

NAIROBI — Pope Francis arrived in Kenya’s capital Wednesday evening, beginning his first trip to Africa by greeting throngs of people, waving and shaking hands on the airport runway.

Francis is embarking on one of the most important — and most dangerous — trips of his papacy, visiting Kenya, Uganda and the war-torn Central African Republic over five days. It’s a chance for him to speak directly to one of the world’s fastest growing Catholic populations while also addressing the themes that have colored his tenure: global poverty, climate change and inter-religious strife.

When he got off the plane, a group sang “Karibu Kenya, Papa,” or “Welcome to Kenya, Pope” in Swahili. Others danced in tight circles. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta awaited him, and Francis greeted a line of dozens of religious and political officials. He then drove off to a meeting with Kenyatta at the statehouse.

In Kenya, he will find a vibrant, cosmopolitan African capital that is still struggling to raise the standard of living for its poorest residents. As the country prepared for Francis’ arrival, it was also in the midst of one of its biggest corruption scandals. Five top ministers were fired Tuesday after being accused of stealing public funds.

Francis has been outspoken about the ills of corruption, calling it in July “the gangrene of society.” Many Kenyans wondered whether Francis would highlight the issue during his visit.

“The gap between the rich and the poor is growing here, and corruption is a major part of the problem,” said the Rev. Chrisantus Ndaga, deputy secretary general of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa, which helped plan the pope’s visit. “It’s the right time for a message of encouragement from the pope.”

Many also wonder whether the pope will speak about sexual or gender rights during his Africa trip, particularly in Uganda, where the government has tried to impose life prison terms for those convicted of “homosexual acts.” Although the pope is perceived by some to be more accepting of gay members of the church, experts say Francis is unlikely to discuss those issues at length.

Instead, he is expected to focus much of his time on interfaith issues, namely the growing tensions between Christian and Muslim populations across Africa. Kenya has been hit particularly hard by al-Shabab, the Somali-based Islamist extremist group, which has carried out numerous attacks here. They include a 2013 attack on a Nairobi mall that left 67 dead and an assault in April on a university in Garissa where 147 were killed.

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