[Eeper]

Bollocks, Benedict. Africa was full of humans easily led into temptation (like all other humans) long before white men came there in any signficant numbers.

[gobucks]

Knowing a little bit about Nigeria, I can report this: upper class Nigerians pretty much never purchase shoes made in Nigeria.

They buy Italian shoes for the most part.

[CzarNicky]

Europe had brought corruption and violence to the African continent.

From what I understand before the Europeans came Africans regularly had each other over for dinner.

[cripplecreek]

Good for him, it's about time someone shined a little light on the european interference in Africa.

[JILES19]

....Let he who is without sin cast the first stone....

I believe he needs to clean his own house before he starts pointing his finger at others....

[0siris]

Europe exported Marxism and other crap philosophies that have held Africa back, and the Euro-trash Left recognizes and valorizes the Idi Amins of the continent. The Italian Socialist Party helped to install the Barre Somalian Gov't that led to the crisis and conflict in the early 90s. A good book on this subject is "Africa in Chaos" by George Ayittey.

[shaggy eel]

,,, the Vatican Bank had quite a hand in the BCCI affair. What does the Pope have to say about that?

[GSlob]

Well, it's not as if there weren't enough native corruption and violence in Africa to begin with. Would uncorrupt natives readily sell a lot of other native people into overseas slavery? Shaka's exploits, for another example, were not particularly influenced by Europeans, but were rather native in scope, execution and inspiration.
BTW, does anyone know whether this statement by Benedict XVI is infallible?

[marron]

Belgium and Germany have a lot to answer for, for their colonial crimes in Africa.

[sgtbono2002]

Some of the African colonies were doing quite well until the world decided blacks should run their own country. Since then its been pretty much downhill. We have some cities here in the USA suffering from that same thought.DC and Atlanta come quickly to mind.

[Longbow1969]

"In a stern criticism of colonialism, Pope Benedict XVI said on Friday that along with Christianity, Europe had brought corruption and violence to the African continent"

Geeze. Africa is crap hole, and it took European colonization and influence to lift it to this glorious stage of the continents history. Before the Europeans, Africa was even worse.

I've got an idea for Africa. Ban Animism and Islam, eliminate the tribal system found throughout the continent, introduce free market economic reforms in every African nation, eject the UN and all NGO's, refuse all "aid" from the West, ban slavery in places it is still found, criminalize all bizarre customs such as raping virgins and widows for good health and luck. Follow that advice and Africa will be well on its way to becoming a thriving, powerful and successful continent.

Longbow

[garyhope]

Yeah, if it wern't for the pernicious "influence" of we American's and Western Europeans, Africa would be a paradise, stable, humane, prosperous, etc. Unn Hunh. Sure. Right.

[cyborg]

The Pope speaks the truth once again.

[petconservative]

The pope said: "We trade in weapons, we abuse the treasures of this land, and we, Christians, must make sure that along with faith there be found the strength to resist the vices and to create a happy Christian Africa, a great continent of new humanism."

We Christians? Hey uncle benny, how about "we" Catholics! Europe didn't export Christianity. It exported catholicism. Therein lies the problem. Africa suffers under priest sex abuse (and other abuses) more than any other continent on earth.

FYI 27 priests and 5 nuns were arrested and prosecuted in international court for their part in the Rwandan genocide.

[jec41]

When the Europeans went to Africa there was a big printing press sitting in the middle of the Continent. The only problem was that no one knew how to work it or its purpose.

[Torie]

Rome - In a stern criticism of colonialism, Pope Benedict XVI said on Friday that along with Christianity, Europe had brought corruption and violence to the African continent.

Garbage. What a uninformed PC statement.

[Mike Darancette]

Islam has been such a wonderful boon for Africa starting with the slave trade.

[cookcounty]

"Europe had brought corruption and violence to the African continent. "

Especially the French. And it's particularly bad under ChIraq.

[Porterville]

Europe still is corrupting Africa... espescially the franco-freaks and the belgium-buggers

[Wiz]

Damn, Pope Benedict XVI is doing an excellent job!