Saturday, November 28, 2015

Pope Francis celebrates Mass for martyrs in Uganda

People react as they wait for the arrival of Pope Francis for an open mass in Kampala, Uganda, on Saturday

Pope Francis is celebrating Mass in front of an audience of hundreds of thousands of Ugandan faithful.
He is speaking at a Catholic shrine dedicated to Christians martyred for their faith in the 19th Century, on the second stage of his three-country trip to Africa.

The Mass marks the 50th anniversary of the martyrs' canonisation.
There were huge cheers as the Pope began the open-air ceremony at Namugongo, near Kampala.
It was there where many of the 45 Anglican and Catholic martyrs were burned alive.
Their execution was ordered by a king worried about the spread of Christianity.
Thousands of pilgrims braved rain to spend the night holding a vigil near the martyrs' shrines and there were long lines of pilgrims still trying to access the shrine as Pope Francis began to address the crowds on Saturday morning.
Uganda is a deeply religious country, with over 14.1 million Catholics - and even adherents of other faiths will be paying close attention to the Pope's words, say correspondents.
Men dressed in traditional clothes during a visit by Pope Francis with the Munyonyo community on November 27, 2015 in Kampala
  • Christian population is 517 million (63% of total)
  • Protestants make up more than half the number
  • Catholics make up about a third
  • Muslim population is 248 million (about 30% of total)
  • 1.1 billion Christians expected by 2050
  • 670 million Muslims expected by 2050

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"mungo park" by Coredo Bello