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Pope hints at November trip to Kenya

By AFP June 13th, 2015 1 min read

Pope Francis has hinted that he may visit Kenya in November, stopping off during a debut African tour that is also set to include Uganda and the restive Central African Republic.

Addressing thousands of priests from around the world who were gathered at Saint John Lateran basilica in Rome, Francis said that adding a Kenyan leg to his first ever African trip was “a possibility”.

“It’s still not certain because there are organisational problems,” he added.

“If God wishes it to happen, I will go to Africa in November — to the Central African Republic and then Uganda,” the pontiff said, confirming plans announced last year.

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The trip to the Central African Republic will take place “before the change of president”, Francis said.

Presidential and legislative elections are currently slated for July and August, but preparations are reportedly running behind schedule.

Francis’s Ugandan visit will meanwhile mark the 50th anniversary of pope Paul VI’s canonisation of the country’s martyrs, Francis told the priests.

The 22 young Christian martyrs, who were executed by the local king in the late 19th century, were declared saints in 1964 during the first ever visit to Africa by a pontiff.