Pope sets off for landmark Africa trip

Pope Francis boards his airplane on the occasion of his trip to Africa, at Rome's Fiumicino International Airport, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015. Pope Francis is leaving for a trip that will take him to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic, from Nov. 25-30. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis boards his airplane on the occasion of his trip to Africa, at Rome's Fiumicino International Airport, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015. Pope Francis is leaving for a trip that will take him to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic, from Nov. 25-30. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Published Nov 25, 2015

Share

Pope Francis flew out of Rome on Wednesday, bound for Kenya on the first leg of a landmark trip to Africa that is fraught with security risks.

The 78-year-old pontiff, the third pope to visit the continent, is also scheduled to visit Uganda and the troubled Central African Republic (CAR) on a six-day trip.

The final leg of the tour, in the CAR, could yet be curtailed or cancelled depending on security conditions in a country that has been wracked by sectarian conflict in recent years.

A densely packed schedule will see the Pope visit, amongst others, a shanty-town in Kenya, a major Catholic shrine to Christian martyrs in Uganda and both a mosque and a refugee camp in the CAR.

He is due to make a series of speeches on various issues including a major one on the environment ahead of the Paris climate change summit.

AFP

* Use IOL’s Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.

Related Topics: