ATP - At
a rain-soaked Mass on Thursday morning with thousands huddled before him, Pope
Francis called for Kenyans to remember the poor, tap into the idealism of
youth and protect “the innocent unborn.”
Francis
seemed to be drawing from his signature mix of progressive and traditional
Roman Catholic beliefs for the message delivered at the University of Nairobi
in the Kenyan capital. Under a steady downpour, Francis told those in the
crowds, who had been waiting for him since dawn with their umbrellas spread tip
to tip, “May you always be concerned for the needs of the poor, and reject everything
that leads to prejudice and discrimination, for these things, we know, are not
of God.”
This
is Francis’ first official trip to Africa, a continent where the number of
Catholics is growing. The visit also comes at a time when African bishops and cardinals
have been playing an increasingly influential role in the direction
of the church.
Earlier
on Thursday, Francis met with leaders from Kenya’s religious communities,
including Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, and two individuals who
described themselves as “traditionalists.”
Photo
Francis
called for Kenyans to remember the poor, respect the environment and protect
“the innocent unborn.” Credit Andrew Medichini/Associated Press
The
pope said that dialogue between religions was not a “luxury” or “optional.” It
is “essential,” he said, “something which our world, wounded by conflict and
division, increasingly needs.”
One
person at the meeting of religious leaders said he was surprised by how subdued
Francis seemed. “I was expecting this little ball of energy to fill the room
with his energy and aura, but that wasn’t the case,” said the person, who did
not want to be identified because of the delicate nature of talking about the
pope. “He seemed terribly, terribly tired.”
But,
the person added, when he had the chance to meet Francis at the end of the
meeting: “It was different. He was very warm, he made eye contact, you could
see a sparkle.”
Francis
mentioned the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Kenya, in which hundreds of
civilians have been slaughtered by the Shabab, a militant group from Somalia.
“All
too often, young people are being radicalized in the name of religion to sow
discord and fear, and to tear at the very fabric of our societies,” Francis
said. “How important it is that we be seen as prophets of peace.”
Security
has been extremely tight during the whole of the pope’s visit to Kenya, which
began on Wednesday afternoon with the 78-year-old pontiff rolling into town
from the airport in a Honda Civic. The Kenyan officials all around him were
riding in black Mercedes sedans, and Kenyans have praised Francis’
humility, saying their politicians could learn a thing or two from him.
More
than any recent pope, Francis has cast himself as a champion of the poor. On
Friday, he plans to walk the muddy footpaths of one of Nairobi’s harshest
slums, Kangemi.
After
visiting the slum and holding a few other meetings, Francis will fly to Uganda
and then to the Central African Republic, an extremely poor nation in the midst
of a religious war.
At
the Mass on Thursday in Nairobi, he arrived in his special “popemobile,” waving
from behind a protective plastic covering while a squad of Kenyan security
agents jogged behind him, in jacket and tie, their faces slicked with rain and
sweat.
The
pope leaned out to touch people as he made his way through the parting crowds,
which had begun assembling at a field on the grounds of the university at 4:30
a.m.
The
Kenyan news media estimated the crowd at 200,000. One Kenyan television station
reported that scores of eager worshipers had been injured in a push for space.
The
Mass had a distinctive Kenyan flair, with priests banging barehanded on giant
bongo drums and even Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, an observant Catholic,
swishing his hips and dancing in place as he waited for the pope’s homily.
The
pope finished his message with a Swahili touch. “Mungu ibariki Kenya!” he said,
or “God bless Kenya!”
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