Pope France Visits Uganda Friday Nov 27,2015

Friday, 27 November (Kenya, Uganda)

8:30am (12:30am): Visit to the Kangemi, a slum on the outskirts of Nairobi.

10am (2am): Meeting with youths at Kasarani Stadium.

11:15am (3:15am): Meeting with the bishops of Kenya in the stadium's VIP room.

3:10pm (7:10am): Farewell ceremony at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

3:30pm (7:30am): Departure from Nairobi for Entebbe, Uganda.

4:50pm (8:50am): Arrival at Entebbe International Airport.

5:30pm (9:30 am): Courtesy visit with the president of Uganda in the State House in Entebbe.

6pm (10am): Meeting with Ugandan authorities and members of the diplomatic corps in the conference room of the State House.

7:15pm (11:15am): Visit to Munyonyo and meeting with catechists and teachers.

Saturday, 28 November (Uganda)

8:30am (12:30am): Visit to the Anglican martyrs' shrine at Namugongo.

9:00am (1am): Visit to the Catholic martyrs' shrine at Namugongo.

9:30am (1:30am): Mass for the martyrs of Uganda near the Catholic shrine.

3:15pm (7:15am): Meeting with young people at the Kololo airstrip in Kampala.

5pm (9am): Visit to the Nalukolongo House of Charity. Greeting by pope.

6pm (10am): Meeting with the bishops of Uganda in the archbishop's residence.

7pm (11am): Meeting with priests, religious and seminarians in Kampala's cathedral

Sunday, 29 November (Uganda, Central African Republic)
9am (1am): Farewell ceremony at Entebbe airport.
9:15am (1:15am): Departure for Bangui.

Pope Francis is greeted a young girl and Uganda President Yoweri Museveni upon his arrival in Entebbe, on November 27, 2015

 Pope Francis meets with Uganda's President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, right, and his wife Janet at the State House, in Entebbe, Uganda, Friday, Nov. 27, 2015

Pope Francis on Friday Nov 27,2015 hailed Uganda for its "outstanding" response in welcoming refugees as he began a two-day visit to this east African nation.

 

 "Here in East Africa, Uganda has shown outstanding concern for welcoming refugees, enabling them to rebuild their lives in security and to sense the dignity which comes from earning one's livelihood through honest labour," he said, shortly after landing in the central town of Entebbe on the shores of Lake Victoria, on the second leg of three-nation Africa tour

Figures published by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) show Uganda hosts over half a million people, most of whom have fled conflict and violence in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

"Our world, caught up in wars, violence, and various forms of injustice, is witnessing an unprecedented movement of peoples," the 78-year-old pontiff said.

"How we deal with them is a test of our humanity, our respect for human dignity, and above all our solidarity with our brothers and sisters in need."

His remarks come as Europe struggles to handle an influx of nearly three-quarters of a million people in its worst migrant crisis since World War II which has sewn deep divisions in the continent

Pope visits Ugandan shrine

Pope Francis travelled to Uganda’s holiest shrine on Saturday, paying tribute to 19th century Christian martyrs killed for their faith, including for protecting young boys in the royal court from abuse by the king.

Pope Francis, on the second leg of his first African tour, said Mass for tens of thousands of people huddled on muddy hillsides surrounding the soaring modern shrine made of iron and cone-shaped to resemble a hut of the Baganda tribe. Twenty-five Anglicans and 22 Catholic converts where killed during the persecutions, mostly by being burned to death, between 1884 and 1887 on the orders of King Buganda Mwanga II.

Pope Francis knelt before part of the same tree where the Christian followers were tortured before being burned alive

Up to two million people today turned out to see Pope Francis honour Ugandan Christian martyrs who were tortured and burned alive by a tyrant king.

Twenty-three Anglican and 22 Catholic martyrs were executed a century ago on the orders of King Mwanga II, of Buganda Kingdom in central Uganda.

Their deaths between 1885 and 1887 were punishment for refusing to renounce their faith or submit to the ruler's alleged sexual advances.