Source: BBC
Pope Francis has celebrated Mass in front of an audience of hundreds of thousands of Ugandan faithful.
He
spoke at a Catholic shrine dedicated to Christians martyred for their
faith in the 19th Century, on the second stage of his three-country
Africa tour.The Mass marks the 50th anniversary of the martyrs' canonisation.
After the mass he addressed thousands of young people, encouraging them to turn to their faith when faced with difficulties.
There were huge cheers as the Pope began the open-air ceremony at Namugongo, near the capital Kampala.
It was where many of the 45 Anglican and Catholic martyrs were burned alive.
Their execution was ordered by a king worried about the spread of Christianity.
Thousands of pilgrims braved rain to spend the night holding a vigil near the martyrs' shrines and there were long lines of pilgrims still trying to access the shrine as Pope Francis addressed the crowds on Saturday morning.
After the mass more than 150,000 young Ugandans gathered on the outskirts of Kampala for the Pope's other public event of the day.
Pope Francis urged them to use their faith to confront life's difficulties and turn negative experiences into strength.
Uganda is a deeply religious country, with over 14.1 million Catholics - and even adherents of other faiths will be paying close attention to the Pope's words, say correspondents.
He arrives here during the third week of a presidential campaign being fought by the country's ruler for the past 29 years, President Yoweri Museveni.
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