Pope in Nairobi, tells clergy to serve others

Pope in Nairobi, tells clergy to serve others

Pope in Nairobi, tells clergy to serve others

POPE Francis has urged Kenyan priests
and nuns to serve others and not be
served – and told seminarians if they are
not up to the task to go find a new job
and start a family.
Francis was in an unusually feisty mood
during his meeting yesterday with
several hundred clergy and nuns, during
which he ditched his prepared speech
and spoke off-the-cuff. In many ways it
was a tough-love speech, urging them to
not waste their time watching TV but
dedicate all their waking hours to
serving others or praying.
By the end, he apologized saying “what
an impolite pope!” and thanked them all
for their work. He realized he had
neglected the seminarians in the crowd.
He said everything he had said applied
to them, but that if they weren’t up to it,
that’s okay, they can go find a job and
start a family.
Several thousand Kenyan priests,
seminarians and nuns have welcomed
Pope Francis to a special meeting in the
fields of a Catholic school here.
Francis was speaking off-the-cuff,
drawing cheers and loud applause from
the crowd.
He’s telling the clergy and nuns that
Jesus has chosen them, and that they
should follow Christ.
Francis often ditches his prepared
speeches when he meets with local clergy
or young people. As he often does, he
apologized for not being able to speak
English well enough, and reverts to his
native Spanish.
Nairobi police say an estimated 300,000
people attended Pope Francis’ first
public Mass in Africa, far fewer than the
1.4 million Kenyan authorities had
predicted.
Heavy rainfall was believed at least in
part to blame for the less-than-expected
turnout. Kenyans had lined up as early
as 3 a.m. yesterday to try to get a spot,
but had no shelter and were soon
standing in huge puddles of mud.
Police chief, Japheth Koome, told The
Associated Press that an estimated
300,000 people attended the Mass at the
University of Nairobi campus and
surrounding parks.
Kenyan authorities had predicted that as
many as 1.4 million people would turn
out and declared a national holiday
yesterday. The Vatican spokesman,
however, had estimated that at most
about 500,000 people could fit in the
venues.

Pope Francis waving to the crowd as he
arrived to hold a Mass at the campus of
the University of Nairobi, Kenya
yesterday. Francis met with a small
group of Kenya’s faith leaders before
celebrating his first public Mass on the
continent, a joyful, rain-soaked
celebration attended by tens of
thousands of faithful, including Kenya’s
president.