Pope Benedict arrives in Africa
- 13 years ago
Pope Benedict called for religious tolerance as he arrived in Benin, the cradle of Voodoo in West Africa. Deborah Gembara reports.
There was singing and dancing as Pope Benedict arrived in Benin, the first stop on his three-day visit to Africa.
The country is considered the cradel of voodoo in West Africa and the pope is expected to meet with a number of different religious leaders.
En route to Benin, the head of the Roman Catholic Church emphasized the need for religious tolerance. He also reflected on efforts to promote the Catholic faith in the region.
SOUNDBITE: Head Of The Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI saying:
"We have to ask ourselves what we can do to revitalise the Catholic faith. The first step is to give a simple message, which is profound and easy to understand. It is important that the Catholic religion should not seem like a complicated and overly-European system."
Excited locals cheered as he made his way to the cathedral in Cotonou where he urged Africans to avoid the pitfalls of becoming too modern too fast.
Deborah Gembara, Reuters.
There was singing and dancing as Pope Benedict arrived in Benin, the first stop on his three-day visit to Africa.
The country is considered the cradel of voodoo in West Africa and the pope is expected to meet with a number of different religious leaders.
En route to Benin, the head of the Roman Catholic Church emphasized the need for religious tolerance. He also reflected on efforts to promote the Catholic faith in the region.
SOUNDBITE: Head Of The Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI saying:
"We have to ask ourselves what we can do to revitalise the Catholic faith. The first step is to give a simple message, which is profound and easy to understand. It is important that the Catholic religion should not seem like a complicated and overly-European system."
Excited locals cheered as he made his way to the cathedral in Cotonou where he urged Africans to avoid the pitfalls of becoming too modern too fast.
Deborah Gembara, Reuters.