Pope pleads for the poor before leaving Africa

updated 3:23 p.m. ET March 23, 2009

LUANDA, Angola - Pope Benedict XVI on Monday left Africa with a final impassioned plea to corrupt leaders to let the poor share in some of the proceeds of the continent's natural resources.

The parting words followed a controversial first pilgrimage to the continent where the growing number of Catholics welcomed his ringing denunciations of corruption — while critics worldwide condemned his rejection of condoms to fight the AIDS epidemic.

"Our hearts cannot be at peace as long as there are brothers that suffer the lack of food, work, a house, and other fundamental goods," the 81-year-old said in his farewell speech at Luanda's airport before returning to Rome.

The pope bathed in a warm welcome from huge crowds during the seven-day visit to Angola and Cameroon, two countries with large Catholic populations and Catholic presidents.

The countries are rich in resources, including oil, but the countries' bishops accuse the authoritarian regimes of enriching a small elite while the vast majority remain mired in poverty.

'Grateful for all the advice'
Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos, who joined the pope at the airport, did not directly address the pope's comments. "We are very happy we had this opportunity to welcome you to our country and we are very grateful for all the advice that you have given to our people," he said.

During the pilgrimage, Benedict said Christianity could inspire hope among the desperately poor of the region.

But his rejection of the use of condoms to help Africa fight the AIDS epidemic provoked a firestorm of criticism, including from governments in France and Germany and European Union officials.

On the plane to Africa, Benedict said that distributing condoms was not the answer to the problem of AIDS. He said the best strategy was the church's efforts to promote sexual responsibility through abstinence and monogamy.

Despite the criticisms of his comments, his flock in Africa — the continent suffering most from the disease and where the church has seen its biggest growth in recent decades — turned out in the hundreds of thousands. Even clerics and those who believe condoms save lives turned out to see him.

Nelson Pestana, a political scientist at Luanda's Catholic University, said the pope had to be wary that his visit, sponsored by the state, is not used by dos Santos to legitimize his authoritarian rule.

The visit was "a win-win situation for both sides, but it remains to be seen how each side will use the capital gained by this greatly successful visit for their own ends," Pestana told The Associated Press.

Abortion issue raised
In Cameroon, Benedict praised a nation at peace, with Christians and Muslims coexisting, But Cameroon's relative stability comes under the corrupt and authoritarian regime of President Paul Biya, who has ruled 27 years through fraudulent elections.

Benedict also praised Cameroon for refusing to sign an African Union agreement to guarantee abortion for women who are victims of rape and incest or whose pregnancy endangers their lives.

In Luanda, the pope railed against the 45 African nations, including Angola, that did sign the abortion accord. That brought more criticism from abroad, including from aid agencies.

On a lighter note, before Benedict's plane landed in Rome on Monday, Vatican officials said it had been decided that a turtle given to the pope by pygmies in Cameroon would remain in Africa and not be brought back as previously planned.

More on: Pope Benedict  | Angola

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