Pope Francis starts a trip on Tuesday to two fragile African nations often forgotten by the world, where protracted conflicts have left millions of refugees and displaced people grappling with hunger.
The Jan. 31-Feb 5 visit to Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, takes the 86-year-old pope to places where Catholics make up about half of the populations and where the Church is a key player in health and educational systems as well as in democracy-building efforts.
DRC, which is the second-largest country in Africa and has a population of about 90 million, is getting its first visit by a pope since John Paul II travelled there in 1985, when it was known as Zaire. "Congo is a moral emergency that cannot be ignored," the Vatican's ambassador to DRC, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, told Reuters.
They represent the Christian make-up of the world's youngest country, which gained independence in 2011 from predominantly Muslim Sudan after decades of conflict and has a population of around 11 million.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pope Francis Speaks Out on Homosexuality—and Further Angers TraditionalistsThe intrigue, rancor, and partisan jousting in Rome after the death of Pope Benedict XVI offers a preview of what life in the Church might be like in the coming years.
Read more »
Pope Francis clarifies comments about homosexuality and Catholic moral teaching | amNewYorkPope Francis has clarified his recent comments about homosexuality and sin, saying he was merely referring to official Catholic moral teaching that teaches that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin.
Read more »
Pope Francis clarifies stance on homosexuality: 'Every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin'His comments calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality were hailed by LGBTQ advocates as a milestone that would help end harassment and violence against LGBTQ persons.
Read more »
Pope clarifies homosexuality and sin comments in notePope Francis has clarified his comments about homosexuality and sin.
Read more »
Pope clarifies homosexuality and sin comments in notePope Francis has clarified his comments about homosexuality and sin.
Read more »