Pope calls on Africa to help needy

|PIC1|Pope Benedict XVI wrapped up his Africa tour Monday by urging the continent to help the poor and to overcome its corruption problem.

Speaking from Luanda airport in Angola, Pope Benedict appealed to African leaders to share their countries’ resources more fairly with the poor. Many African nations are known to be rich in natural resources but the wealth is concentrated among the political leaders while the vast majority remain in abject poverty.

"Our hearts cannot be at peace as long as there are brothers that suffer the lack of food, work, a house, and other fundamental goods," said the Pope before boarding the chartered Alitalia plane to fly back to Rome, according to The Associated Press.

Angola was the second and final destination of Pope Benedict’s first visit to Africa as head of the Roman Catholic Church. The first leg of his seven-day trip was spent in Cameroon.

The Pope's visit to Angola was welcomed with enthusiasm, even resulting in the death of two young women killed in a stampede to the stadium Saturday where the Pope was to address the crowd, according to Agence France-Presse. Another 40 people were injured in the crowd rushing to hear the Pope speak.

Angola’s population is 55 per cent Catholic – one of the highest percentages among the African nations. Both the presidents of Cameroon and Angola are Catholic.

President Eduardo dos Santos of Angola accompanied Pope Benedict to the airport and told him his people were thankful for “the love we always get from the Vatican, which provides us strength and helps us promote democracy and justice”, according to AP.

"We are very happy we had this opportunity to welcome you to our country and we are very grateful for all the advice that you have given to our people," he said.

About one million Angolans endured the sweltering heat to attend the outdoor Mass on Sunday, where Pope Benedict suggested that Christianity can help the African people overcome “the cloud of evil” that hangs over their continent in the form of ethnic rivalry and tribalism, according to AFP.

The open-air mass in Angola was the largest event of the Pope’s Africa tour.