On the papal horizon: hope for Africa

Zenit:

Benedict XVI will make his first trip to Africa to give hope to peoples that suffer violence and poverty, says a Vatican spokesman.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, affirmed this on the most recent edition of Vatican Television's "Octava Dies."

The Holy Father announced at the end of the world Synod of Bishops his plans to travel to Angola and Cameroon next March, an announcement that Father Lombardi called "an important piece of news."

Hope, surely. But the Pope's third encyclical will be released by then and could provide the theme for his Africa trip, much like his second encyclical provided the theme for his visit to the United States.