Pope Francis describes himself as “a sinner” in need of God’s mercy, in an upcoming book where he also urges the Catholic Church to focus on its mission as a grassroots, hands-on organisation.

They came through the narrow and muddy streets in the rain long before dawn, intent on seeing Pope Francis as he came to their church in the Kenyan slum of Kangemi.

Pope Francis lashed out at wealthy minorities who hoard resources at the expense of the poor as he visited a crowded Nairobi slum on Friday, wrapping up the first-leg of a three nation tour.

Huge crowds braved heavy rains they hailed as “God’s blessing” on Thursday to take part in Pope Francis’ first open-air mass in Africa, singing and dancing in the centre of the Kenyan capital.

Pope Francis on Wednesday warned of the need to tackle poverty as a key driver of conflict and violence as he kicked off a landmark Africa trip fraught with security concerns.

Kenya said on Sunday it may deploy as many as 10,000 police officers to boost security during a visit by Pope Francis later this month as the country readies for crowds of one million people.

Pope Francis has granted a “plenary indulgence”, or religious pardon, to the ultra-conservative Legion of Christ movement, mired in a paedophile scandal, provided its members perform acts of penance, Vatican Radio said Thursday.

Pope Francis will visit a refugee camp and a mosque in the Central African Republic as well as a slum in Kenya during a trip to Africa next month loaded with potential security risks.

National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Monday, lampooned President Muhammadu Buhari, saying that Nigeria’s snubbing of the meeting of countries affected by insurgency at the 70th United Nation’s General Assembly meeting was an insult to the country.

World leaders on Friday pledged to end extreme poverty within 15 years, adopting an ambitious set of UN goals to be backed up by trillions of dollars in development spending.