Kenya: Pope Francis visits slum, calls for more to be done about poverty

Thousands greeted Pope Francis on his final day in Kenya. The pontiff addressed youths at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi before heading for a private meeting with Kenyan bishops. The archbishop of Mombasa and president of the national branch of the Catholic Charity Caritas welcomed the example the pontiff sets in the community. Francis has long fought for the poor worldwide, both in public and in private. Earlier in the day he visited a slum in the Kenyan capital, where he urged the government to do more to lift people from what he called “wounds inflicted” by a wealthy and powerful elite. “The social and environmental debt owed to the poor of cities can be paid by respecting their sacred right to the “three Ls”: land; lodging; and labour,” he said. “This is not a question of philanthropy; rather it is a duty incumbent upon all of us.” It marks the end of the first stage of his first visit to Africa. The next stop on the three-nation tour will be Uganda, then the pope will wrap up the trip in the Central African Republic.