NAMUGONGO, Uganda (AP) – Pope Francis paid his respects Saturday to Ugandan Christians who were burnt alive rather than renounce their faith, the latest group of martyrs from around the world honored by Francis in hopes of giving today’s faithful missionary role models.
A somber Francis prayed at shrines dedicated to the 23 Anglican and 22 Catholic martyrs who were killed between 1885 and 1887 on the orders of a local king eager to thwart the influence of Christianity in his central Ugandan kingdom.
At Namugongo, outside the capital, Kampala, where most of the martyrs were burned alive, he celebrated Mass in their honor to mark the 50th anniversary of the Catholics’ canonization.
As many as 2 million people were expected to attend the Mass, including Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, the president of South Sudan and the descendant of the king who ordered the martyrs killed.
Some of the pilgrims had been here all night to honor the martyrs and see the pope, braving rains and sleeping on mats to guard against the mud that turned the grounds into chocolate-colored muck.