Lima, Jan 22 (AFP) Pope Francis took a tough standagainst political corruption, hours before wrapping up hisLatin American trip with a mass at an air base before amillion faithful.
"There are exceptions. But by and large, Latin America'spolitical culture is sicker than it is healthy," the pontifftold bishops from across Peru, a country that has seen itspolitical parties and presidents plagued by dishonesty andgraft.
"What is wrong with Peru, that when one finishes beingpresident one ends up behind bars?" Francis wondered aloud.
"(Ollanta) Humala, is in jail, (Alejandro) Toledo is injail (living in US awaiting extradition);(Alberto) Fujimoriwas detained until just now; Alan Garcia, isn't sure if he'sin or out: What is wrong morally?" he asked.
Leaders of other Latin American nations have also beenaccused of graft.
"If we let ourselves be led by people who only speak thelanguage of corruption, we are done for," the Argentinianpontiff warned, using a popular Peruvian slang term andearning some laughter.
Earlier Sunday, the 81-year-old pope delivered a homilyto 500 nuns, and met with bishops.
The pontiff on Saturday had urged Latin America'sfaithful to fight rampant violent crime against women,comments which came during a mass in Peru's largest northerncity of Trujillo.
"I wish to invite you to combat a plague across our LatinAmerican region: the numerous cases of violent crimes againstwomen, from beatings to rape to murder," Francis told thecrowd.
Half of the 25 countries with the greatest number ofmurders of women are in Latin America, according to the UNWomen agency.
While in Peru, the pope railed against "great businessinterests" for endangering the Amazon and its indigenouspeople and lashed out again at corruption in politics.
"There is so much damage done by this... thing thatinfects everything," Francis said. "And it's always thepoorest and the environment that get the short end of thestick."On Friday, he sounded a stark warning about the future ofthe rainforest and indigenous tribe members, saying they had"never been so threatened."Thousands of indigenous people had travelled to meet thepontiff from throughout the Amazon basin region of Peru,Brazil and Bolivia to meet the pope in the Peruvian city ofPuerto Maldonado.
Francis began his Latin American visit in Chile lastMonday.
There, he highlighted the plight of vulnerableimmigrants, apologised to victims of sexual abuse by Catholicpriests, prayed with survivors of Augusto Pinochet's brutaldictatorship, and called for protection of Chile's persecutedindigenous people. (AFP)AJR.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.