By Sarah Mac Donald - 29 August, 2015
Pope Francis. Photo: CNS
Pope Francis will visit the capitals of Kenya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic when he makes his first visit to Africa in November.
The full details of the Pope’s trip are still being arranged but an official schedule is due to be made public in October.
In an interview with Vatican Radio, Archbishop Charles Daniel Balvo, the apostolic nuncio in Kenya, said that the papal tour will begin in Nairobi.
The Pope will travel next to Kampala, Uganda; his trip will conclude in Bangui, in the Central African Republic.
Archbishop Balvo explained that the Kenyan bishops have chosen as their theme, “To stand strong in the faith”.
He recalled that one of the tasks that Jesus gave to St Peter (and just before he denied that he had known Jesus) was to strengthen his brothers in the faith.
“I think the Holy Father wants to do that, to strengthen his brothers and sisters in the faith, his presence to be a kind of something that will push people to encourage to live their faith not only interiorly in their life of prayer but also in their life in influencing society so that the society in Kenya can also be even more filled with the values, which come from the gospel for our faith.”
Separately, a spokeswoman for the Catholic Waumini communications in Kenya, has told Vatican Radio’s English Service for Africa that the Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), Bishop Philip Anyolo, on 27 August, officially announced the coming of Pope Francis to Kenya
According to Rose Achiego, this was announced in a letter to the Christian faithful issued on behalf of the bishops in which Bishop Anyolo said, “The Holy Father has accepted our invitation and will visit Kenya in November 2015.”
