Pope: Work and education prevent the radicalization of young people in Africa

Roman Catholic leader Pope Francis said today in Kenya that only better access for young people to education and employment can prevent them from joining radical groups.

At his last public appearance in Kenya, when asked how young people can prevent their friends and family members from joining radical groups, the pope replied that if people do not have a job, they have no future ahead of them and that this is the main cause of their radicalization.

Kenyans are the most numerous foreigners in the Somali extremist organization Al Shabaab, which is linked to Al Qaeda.

Pope Francis has called on young people in Kenya to resist the temptation of corruption, calling it sugar that is delicious but also endlessly deadly.

The Roman Catholic leader visited one of the poorest districts of Nairobi today, stressing that all people must have dignified living conditions.

All people must have access to clean drinking water, sewage, a garbage disposal system, electricity, as well as schools and sports facilities, the pope said in the Kangemi slum.

Pope Francis talked to the young residents of Kangemi about the problems they face every day, such as violence, drugs, and alcohol, and during the conversation he recorded the problems they talked about.

"People who are forced to live in unhygienic conditions and poverty share values ​​that residents of the richer suburbs have yet to learn, such as solidarity and caring for the poor. It is unfair to force entire families to live in inhumane conditions and at exorbitant prices," he said. is he.

The Pope warned that corruption in Africa pushes people further into poverty and that local authorities must fight against it.

Residents of one of the poorest neighborhoods in Nairobi welcomed the pope with enthusiasm. In the front rows, he was greeted by the immobile, in wheelchairs, and at the sports stadium, where he drove around in an open papamobile, thousands of young people waving flags.

Kangemi is one of 11 poor neighborhoods on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, which is also East Africa's largest city. It is estimated that in this poor part of the city, 50.000 inhabitants live without elementary hygienic conditions for life. The entire suburb consists of one-room shacks built of mud with tin roofs.

By visiting Kangemi, Pope Francis ends his visit to Kenya, and the next stop on his African tour is Uganda.