(Pope Benedict XVI (L) is surrounded by children as he arrives during his visit to foyer "Paix et Joie" at the St. Rita church in Cotonou during his pastoral visit in Benin November 19, 2011. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)
Pope Benedict celebrated a big open-air Mass on Sunday, capping a trip to Africa where he appealed to leaders to serve their people honestly and to developed nations to shun a condescending, know-it-all attitude towards the continent.
The crowd of some 50,000 people in Cotonou’s Friendship Stadium in the largest city of Benin went wild as the pope entered. His reception in the West African country has been by far one of the most exuberant on all of his 22 foreign trips.
The crowd, many dressed in colourful robes and dresses emblazoned with his picture, danced and swayed as they chanted in the local Fon language and French.
In his homily in French, the pope urged his listeners “to be attentive to the cry of the poor, the weak and the outcast” and sent a special greeting “those affected by AIDS or other illnesses, to all those forgotten by society”.
