Huge crowds of Ugandans greeted Pope Francis today (November 28, 2015), as he held a mass youth rally and honored martyred Christians on his landmark three-nation trip to Africa, which he dubbed "the continent of hope," according to the AFP (Agence France-Presse) website.
The 78-year-old pontiff was greeted by wild cheers and singing at a shrine to the martyrs at Namugongo, just outside the capital Kampala, that honors more than 40 Christians who were executed in the 19th century for refusing to recant their faith.
Over 100,000 people had waited from before dawn at the open-air shrine to attend the mass -- a highlight of the pope's visit to Uganda -- the second leg of his trip after Kenya, and before traveling to war-torn Central African Republic (CAR) tomorrow.
Hailing Uganda's outstanding response in accommodating hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring war-torn nations, the pope in his opening speech said, "The world looks to Africa as the continent of hope."
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