Pope Francis sends video message to Kenya, Uganda and Central African Republic

Pope Francis has sent video messages to the people of Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic, ahead of his visit which begins on Wednesday, 25 November.

The full transcript of Pope Francis' message to Kenya and Uganda follows:

Dear Friends, As I prepare to visit Kenya and Uganda later this month, I send a word of greeting and friendship to you and your families. I look forward to this time we will have together.

I am coming as a minister of the Gospel, to proclaim the love of Jesus Christ and his message of reconciliation, forgiveness and peace. My visit is meant to confirm the Catholic community in its worship of God and its witness to the Gospel, which teaches the dignity of every man and woman, and commands us to open our hearts to others, especially the poor and those in need.

At the same time I wish to encounter all the people of Kenya and Uganda, and to offer everyone a word of encouragement. We are living at a time when religious believers, and persons of good will everywhere, are called to foster mutual understanding and respect, and to support each other as members of our one human family. For all of us are God's children. A highlight of my visit will be my meetings with young people, who are your greatest resource and our most promising hope for a future of solidarity, peace and progress.

I know that many people are working hard to prepare for my visit, and I thank them. I ask everyone to pray that my stay in Kenya and Uganda will be a source of hope and encouragement to all. Upon you and your families I invoke God's blessings of joy and peace!

In his video message to the Central African Republic, where he will arrive on 28 November, Pope Francis spoke of his joy at visiting Africa for the first time and in particular CAR.

The Holy Father said: "Your dear country has for too long been affected by a violent situation and by insecurity of which many of you have been innocent victims. The goal of my visit is, above all, to bring you, in the name of Christ, the comfort of consolation and hope. I hope with all my heart that my visit may contribute, in one way or another, to alleviate your wounds and to favor conditions for a better, more serene future for Central Africa and all its inhabitants."

Pope Francis then reminded them that the theme of his visit is "Let us pass to the other side", saying that it invites Christian communities "to look ahead with determination and encourages each person to renew their own relationship with God and with their brothers and sisters to build a new, more just and fraternal world".

At the heart of the Holy Father's six-day journey, taking him to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic is his desire to bring a message of peace, reconciliation, dialogue and the impetus to overcome internal divisions.

In war-torn CAR he will open Bangui Cathedral's Holy Door in a powerful gesture leading up to the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

One of Pope Francis' last commitments before he boards the Papal plane bringing him back to Rome on November 30, will be a visit to Bangui's Central Mosque for a meeting with the Muslim community.

Source: VIS