Pope Francis leads mass at Ugandas holiest shrine

Pope Francis traveled to Uganda’s holiest shrine on Saturday, paying tribute to 19th century Christian martyrs killed for their faith.

Francis, on the second leg of his first African tour, said mass for tens of thousands of people. The pontiff spoke from a podium on an artificial lake in the shrine complex outside the capital Kampala.

Twenty-five Anglicans and 22 Catholic converts where killed during the persecutions, mostly burned to death, between 1884 and 1887 on the orders of King Buganda Mwanga II.

Catholics now make up about 40 percent of the population. Churches run many schools and hospitals around the country.

Pope Francis spoke of the martyrs, saying they were fearless in bringing Christ to others, even at the cost of their own lives.

At the mass, traditional singing and dancing gave way to a Western-style church choir as the pope walked to the dais via a gangway over the lake, which was guarded by police scuba divers in dinghies.

Later, on Sunday, Pope Francis is due to leave for the Central African Republic, potentially the most dangerous stop on his trip.

For nearly three years, the Central African Republic has been embroiled in an inter-religious conflict that has effectively split the country in two. Thousands have been killed and more than one in five have fled internally or sought refuge abroad.