Francis was received upon arrival at Nairobi's airport by President Uhuru Kenyatta and a throng of traditional dancers and singers at the start of a six-day pilgrimage that will also take him to Uganda and the Central African Republic, a country wracked by fighting between Christians and Muslims.
Asked en route if he was concerned about the violence, Francis responded with his typical wry humor: "I'm more worried about the mosquitoes."
Francis is aiming to bring a message of peace and reconciliation to
Africa, but is also stressing some issues close to his heart including
the need to fight poverty, protect the environment and encourage good
governance.
Francis urged Kenya's political, social and economic leaders to work
with "integrity and transparency" for the common good, a clear reference
to Kenya's poor record with corruption. Transparency International
ranked Kenya a lowly 145 out of 174 countries in its 2014 corruption
perception index, and Kenyatta this week described corruption as a
national security threat to East Africa's largest economy.
"I ask you in particular to show genuine concern for the needs of the
poor, the aspirations of the young, and a just distribution of the
natural and human resources with which the Creator has blessed your
country," Francis said.
Kenyatta, for his part, said corruption was the major challenge facing
the country. His rule has come under criticism for a lack of high-level
prosecutions of officials accused of corruption.
Some uncomfortable issues may arise: The church's opposition to condoms
as a way to fight AIDS, and its support of local legislation
criminalizing homosexuality are chief among them.
But on the whole, the pope's visit to Africa is meant to tell the
African church that it matters, said the Rev. Robert Dowd, professor of
political science at the University of Notre Dame. "It has a crucial
role to play in promoting justice and peace in societies where
governments are not always accountable or responsive."
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