Known for his humility, progressive leadership and tireless advocacy for social justice, Pope Francis left journalists in stitches when he brushed off security concerns during his visit in Kenya on November 25, 2015.#When asked if he was concerned about security risks, the Pope quipped: “To tell you the truth, the only thing I’m concerned about is the mosquitoes. Did you bring your spray?”

His visit had come weeks after the US had issued a security alert over possible attacks by the Somali-based al-Shabaab militia group. Referring to the attacks carried out by the militant Islamist group in the country, he said God’s name “must never be used to justify hatred and violence”. He said conflict and terrorism fed “on fear, mistrust and the despair born of poverty and frustration”.

The Pope also had a message of hope for the youth, whom he said had been marginalised and appealed to them to “shape a society which is ever more just, inclusive and respectful of human dignity”. “May you always be concerned for the needs of the poor, and reject everything that leads to prejudice and discrimination.”

Pope Francis’ five-day visit to Africa, the first time since his election in 2013, had also seen him go to Uganda and Central African Republic, which had been hit by Christian-Muslim conflict.

He called on Christians and Muslims to engage in a dialogue of peace in the face of religious radicalisation and “barbarous” attacks, as he began the first full day of his three-nation trip to Africa.

He met a small group of faith leaders in Nairobi before a public open-air mass, attended by around 300,000 people in the pouring rain and amid tight security.

Religion could never be used to justify violence, he told Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Jewish representatives.

“All too often, young people are being radicalised in the name of religion to sow discord and fear and to tear at the very fabric of society,” he said. “How important it is that we be seen as prophets of peace, peacemakers who invite others to live in peace, harmony and mutual respect.”

Traditional dancers

Francis was greeted by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, and others, amid singing by traditional dance groups.

Speaking to journalists before his plane touched down, he had said he wanted to offer spiritual and material support to Africans. “I am going with joy to Kenya, Uganda and the brothers of the Central African Republic,” he had said on the flight. “Let’s hope this trip brings better fruit, both spiritual and material.”

After greeting Kenyatta, Francis was presented with a bouquet by a boy and a girl. Traditional dancers, some dressed in Maasai regalia, and choirs at the airport sang “karibu baba” in Swahili, lyrics which translate as “welcome father”. 

Later, Francis was welcomed by an honour guard at the State House and a 21-gun salute.

While in Kenya, Francis delivered an important environmental message at the UN environment programme headquarters on the eve of key climate talks in Paris.

During his visit to Kangemi slums, Pope Francis launched a blistering attack on “new forms of colonialism” that exacerbated the “dreadful injustice of urban exclusion.”

The pontiff criticised wealthy minorities who hoard resources at the expense of the poor and praised the values of solidarity and mutual support in deprived neighbourhoods.

Such values, he said, had been forgotten by “an opulent society, anaesthetised by unbridled consumption” and were “not quoted in the stock exchange, are not subject to speculation and have no market price”.

Denounced injustices

The Pope told the packed congregation at the Jesuit Centre in Kangemi: “I am here because I want you to know that I am not indifferent to your joys and hopes, your troubles and your sorrows. I realise the difficulties which you experience daily. How can I not denounce the injustices which you suffer?”

Such injustices were the result of “wounds inflicted by minorities who cling to power and wealth, who selfishly squander while a growing majority is forced to flee to abandoned, filthy and rundown peripheries”, the pope said.

He criticised the lack of “infrastructures and basic services”, adding: “By this I mean toilets, sewers, drains, refuse collection, electricity, roads, as well as schools, hospitals, recreational and sport centres, studios and workshops for artists and craftsmen. I refer, in particular, to access to drinking water.”

The pontiff also condemned what he described as the unjust distribution of land, poor housing and criminal gangs preying on children. “These realities … are not a random combination of unrelated problems. They are a consequence of new forms of colonialism which would make African countries ‘parts of a machine, cogs on a gigantic wheel’,” he said, citing a statement from Pope John Paul II in 1995.

Urban poverty

The pope proposed “integrated cities which belong to everyone” as way of alleviating urban poverty and inequality.

“We need to go beyond the mere proclamation of rights which are not respected in practice, to implementing concrete and systematic initiatives capable of improving the overall living situation, and planning new urban developments of good quality for housing future generations,” he said. 

After visiting Kangemi, the pope capped his three-day visit to Kenya with a plea to the country’s leadership to be more responsive to the needs of the people.

Addressing tens of thousands of young Kenyans, who had packed into the country’s main stadium to listen to the last major speech of his tour, Francis said: “Corruption takes away our joy, our peace: corrupt people don’t live in peace.

Corruption is something that eats inside, like sugar. Sweet, we like it, it’s easy. And then we end up badly.”

He said Kenya had been one of the poster boys of the “rising Africa” narrative, with a growing middle class, but it remains a deeply unequal society, where conditions in low-income urban settlements are among the worst on the continent.

Pope Francis offered a sombre warning on the dangers of a church driven by “ambition for wealth and power”.

“The church is not a business,” he said. “It is not an NGO. It’s a mystery. A mystery of Christ’s gaze upon each one of us.”

There have been concerns that some priests are attracted to the ministry by the vast resources of the church, which is a major player in Kenya’s education and health sectors.

Francis warned against succumbing to the impulse of joining the priesthood to accumulate wealth, and he told the gathered priests that they had to examine themselves to find out whether they had gone into service through the “door of Christ or the window”. People Daily