Pope Francis in Africa

Pope Francis makes his first visit to Africa this week, starting on Wednesday when his delegation will visit Kenya, then Uganda and the Central African Republic.
During the five-day trip the pope is expected to deliver public masses, meet religious and political leaders and promote a message of reconciliation and unity.

But concerns have lingered over whether his visit to Central African Republic (CAR) will go ahead. The country is currently embroiled in a civil war between the predominantly Muslim Séléka rebel coalition and Christian government forces.
His visit there – where he will meet representatives from the Muslim community at mosque in the capital, Bangui – will make him the first pope to travel to an active war zone, according to Global Post.
Speculation over what the head of the Roman Catholic Church can achieve with this visit is being hotly debated online. From escalating religious tensions to pushing for LGBT equality, here are a few of the common themes being discussed.

Religious tensions

Christian militias in CAR have carried out attacks on the country’s Muslim population during the ongoing conflict, leading some people to question whether the pope’s visit could in fact escalate religious tensions.
Peter Fabricius, a security consultant at the South African-based Institute for Security Studies, argued that the pope should have planned a joint visit with a Muslim leader.
“It is a pity that Francis does not have a Muslim counterpart who could partner him on his missions of peace and reconciliation among religions,” he said.
“Nevertheless, by his highly active and increasingly visible political interventions around the world in the name of peace, reconciliation and mercy, Pope Francis may just still be inspiring and emboldening the leaders of other religions to follow his example.”
In Kenya, members of the militant Islamist group al-Shabaab killed 147 people at Garissa University College, allowing Muslims to go free but killing those who identified as Christian.
Kenyan blogger Daniel Ominde suggested the pope might transform other areas with his message of peace. “Frequent terror attacks in Nairobi, Mombasa and most recently Garissa University significantly drove down Kenya’s earnings from [tourism], the sector which was for a long time the country’s biggest foreign exchange earner.
“It is my hope that the pope will use this visit to remind the world that terror is a problem in Africa just like it is in the western world where hundreds of lives have also been lost,” Ominde wrote.
The blogger praised the pope’s “conciliatory agenda” and suggested that visiting regions with a high Muslim population “should provide him with an opportunity to reach out to Muslims, and set the stone rolling for a process of inter-religious unity in the fight against extremism.”

LGBT rights

On the issue of homosexuality, Ominde argued: “While we do not expect him to push for the legalisation of homosexuality, Pope Francis will almost definitely encourage African governments to deal with homosexuals in more a humane manner.”
Uganda is notorious for its tough laws criminalising homosexuality. In an interview in 2014 given shortly after signing a bill that made some homosexual acts punishable by life in prison, the country’s president Yoweri Museveni reportedly told CNN: “They’re disgusting. What sort of people are they?”
In CAR, homosexuality is not illegal, and the country has signed a UN statement committed to ending acts of violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
However, according to the Library of Congress “public expressions of love” between persons of the same sex is punishable by six months to two years imprisonment or a fine, and there is currently no legal recognition of same-sex relationships.
In July 2013, Pope Francis showed understanding toward the LGBT community when he said: “If someone is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
But Emma Were Tinka’s tweet from Uganda, quoting the country’s Archbishop of Gulu, suggested senior religious figures would stand firm in their opposition.