Pope Benedict will make a three-day visit to Benin in November next
year, his second trip as pontiff to Africa where the Catholic Church is
growing faster than on any other continent.
According to a Vatican statement on Friday, the pope will deliver
a document to African Catholic leaders that will develop themes
discussed at the 2009 synod of bishops on Africa, and serve as a guide
to the Church in Africa in coming years.
His visit to the west African state will run from November 18-20.
The pope made a first trip to Africa as pontiff in 2009, when he
visited Cameroon and Angola.
He sparked a storm of criticism from around
the world during that trip for saying that the use of condoms was
complicating the fight against AIDS.
This month the pope said condoms are sometimes morally
justifiable to stop AIDS, a comment seen as a breakthrough for efforts
to fight the disease in Africa, giving health workers and clergy more
scope to broach the still taboo subject.
Despite recent progress, the AIDS-causing virus HIV still afflicts 22.5 million Africans -- two-thirds of the world total.
SIC: Reuters/INT'L