This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/27/pope-francis-criticises-new-forms-of-colonialism-in-kenya-speech

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Pope Francis criticises 'new colonialism' in Kenya speech Pope Francis criticises 'new colonialism' in impassioned Kenya speech
(about 2 hours later)
Pope Francis has launched a blistering criticism of “new forms of colonialism” that exacerbate the “dreadful injustice of urban exclusion” while speaking to thousands of people in one of Nairobi’s most impoverished slums. Pope Francis has launched a blistering attack on “new forms of colonialism” that exacerbate the “dreadful injustice of urban exclusion” while speaking to thousands of people in one of Nairobi’s most impoverished slums.
On his last day in Kenya before travelling to Uganda later on Friday, the pontiff lashed out at wealthy minorities who hoard resources at the expense of the poor and praised the values of solidarity and mutual support in deprived neighbourhoods. Such values, he said, had been forgotten by “an opulent society, anaesthetised by unbridled consumption” and were “not quoted in the stock exchange, are not subject to speculation, and have no market price”.
Francis received a rapturous welcome as he arrived in Kangemi, one of 11 slums in Nairobi, where more than 100,000 people live in shacks without sewerage.
Wild singing and ululating erupted as the Popemobile weaved through a sea of tin-roofed homes. Around 20,000 of Kangemi’s residents belong to the local Catholic parish St Joseph the Worker.
Related: Pope Francis visits Africa - in picturesRelated: Pope Francis visits Africa - in pictures
Some people had been waiting at the tin-roofed Jesuit church since before dawn to see Francis. “It is once in a lifetime,” said Edward Mwaniki, who comes from Kangemi and who had waited for hours with his wife and three sons. “It is an honour to be here being a Catholic.” On his last day in Kenya before travelling to Uganda on Friday, the pontiff criticised wealthy minorities who hoard resources at the expense of the poor and praised the values of solidarity and mutual support in deprived neighbourhoods. Such values, he said, had been forgotten by “an opulent society, anaesthetised by unbridled consumption” and were “not quoted in the stock exchange, are not subject to speculation, and have no market price”.
After greeting people in wheelchairs in the front row and bowing down to receive a blessing, Francis told the packed congregation: “I am here because I want you to know that I am not indifferent to your joys and hopes, your troubles and your sorrows. I realise the difficulties which you experience daily. How can I not denounce the injustices which you suffer?” Francis received a rapturous welcome as he arrived in Kangemi, one of 11 slums in Nairobi, where more than 100,000 people live in shacks without sewerage.
Such injustices were the result of “wounds inflicted by minorities who cling to power and wealth, who selfishly squander while a growing majority is forced to flee to abandoned, filthy and run-down peripheries,” the pope said. Singing and ululating erupted as the popemobile weaved through a sea of tin-roofed homes. An estimated 20,000 of Kangemi’s residents belong to the local Catholic church, St Joseph the Worker.
He also criticised the lack of “infrastructures and basic services”, before going on to list specifics: “By this I mean toilets, sewers, drains, refuse collection, electricity, roads, as well as schools, hospitals, recreational and sport centres, studios and workshops for artists and craftsmen. I refer in particular to access to drinking water.” Some people had been waiting at the Jesuit church since before dawn to see Francis. “It is once in a lifetime,” said Edward Mwaniki, from Kangemi, who had waited for hours with his wife and three sons. “It is an honour to be here being a Catholic.”
The pontiff also attacked what he saw as the unjust distribution of land, poor housing, and criminal gangs preying on children. “These realities … are not a random combination of unrelated problems. They are a consequence of new forms of colonialism which would make African countries ‘parts of a machine, cogs on a gigantic wheel’,” he said, citing a statement from Pope John Paul II in 1995. After greeting people in wheelchairs in the front row and bowing to receive a blessing, Francis told the packed congregation: “I am here because I want you to know that I am not indifferent to your joys and hopes, your troubles and your sorrows. I realise the difficulties which you experience daily. How can I not denounce the injustices which you suffer?”
Emily Night, a mother of two who works at the parish’s HIV counselling centre, said the pope’s visit gave hope to Kangemi residents who often could not afford garbage collection, or even the treatments necessary to purify water to make it safe for drinking. Such injustices were the result of “wounds inflicted by minorities who cling to power and wealth, who selfishly squander while a growing majority is forced to flee to abandoned, filthy and run-down peripheries”, the pope said.
The city only piped in water three days a week, said Night, and it was not safe to drink. “Some people don’t have toilets in their homes. Those that do, maybe 50 people are using it,” she said. He criticised the lack of “infrastructures and basic services”, adding: “By this I mean toilets, sewers, drains, refuse collection, electricity, roads, as well as schools, hospitals, recreational and sport centres, studios and workshops for artists and craftsmen. I refer, in particular, to access to drinking water.”
The pontiff also condemned what he described as the unjust distribution of land, poor housing, and criminal gangs preying on children. “These realities … are not a random combination of unrelated problems. They are a consequence of new forms of colonialism which would make African countries ‘parts of a machine, cogs on a gigantic wheel’,” he said, citing a statement from Pope John Paul II in 1995.
Emily Night, a mother of two who works at the parish’s HIV counselling centre, said the pope’s visit gave hope to Kangemi residents who often could not afford rubbish collection, or even the treatments necessary to purify water to make it safe for drinking.
The city piped in water three days a week, said Night, and it was not safe to drink. “Some people don’t have toilets in their homes. Those that do, maybe 50 people are using it.”
Related: Pope Francis's first Africa visit: what should be on his agenda?Related: Pope Francis's first Africa visit: what should be on his agenda?
The pope proposed “integrated cities which belong to everyone” as way of alleviating urban poverty and inequality. “We need to go beyond the mere proclamation of rights which are not respected in practice, to implementing concrete and systematic initiatives capable of improving the overall living situation, and planning new urban developments of good quality for housing future generations,” he said.The pope proposed “integrated cities which belong to everyone” as way of alleviating urban poverty and inequality. “We need to go beyond the mere proclamation of rights which are not respected in practice, to implementing concrete and systematic initiatives capable of improving the overall living situation, and planning new urban developments of good quality for housing future generations,” he said.
Francis was due to fly to neighbouring Uganda later on Friday, and then on to Central African Republic (CAR) on Sunday morning. His 26-hour visit to CAR’s capital, Bangui, will be his first visit to an active war zone. Francis was due to fly to neighbouring Uganda and then to Central African Republic on Sunday morning. His 26-hour visit to the latter country’s capital, Bangui, will be his first visit to a war zone.
Vatican security officials are constantly reviewing the situation on the ground ahead of the pope’s visit. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said on Thursday night that the Bangui leg of the trip was still on. Vatican security officials are constantly reviewing the situation on the ground before the pope’s visit. Spokesman Federico Lombardi said on Thursday night the Bangui trip would proceed as planned.