ROME - During his visit to Kangemi, a slum on the outskirts of Nairobi, Pope Francis has criticised rich people who accumulate money and power, thus creating social marginalisation.

  "Urban marginalisation stems from the wounds caused by the minorities who concentrate power and riches in their own hands and selfishly squander resources, while a growing majority have to seek refuge in abandoned, polluted, discarded areas on the outskirts," the pope said.

  He also urged young people not to give into the “sugar” of corruption, an evil that he observed was also present in the Vatican. “Corruption robs us of joy, corrupt people do not live in peace”, added the pontiff. “Corruption is not a way of life. It is a pathway to death. Corruption is in all institutions, corruption is everywhere, there is also corruption in the Vatican. Corruption is like sugar, it is sweet and we like it, but by ingesting it, we become diabetic. With corruption, the nation will also become diabetic"

  During a speech at the United Nations' Nairobi office on Thursday, the pope said he hoped for a “transformational” agreement at the U.N.'s Climate Change Conference (COP21), which begins on November 30 in Paris, that would aim to lessen the impact of climate change, fight poverty and respect human dignity.

  "I express my hope that COP21 will achieve a global and 'transformational' agreement based on the principles of solidarity, justice, equality and participation," Francis said.

  He said that the world faced "a choice which cannot be ignored: either to improve or to destroy the environment”.

  The pontiff also expressed his concerns that business and private interests would manipulate the climate talks for personal rather than common goals, which he claimed would be catastrophic.

  This afternoon, the pope will depart from Kenya to the second destination of his African tour, Uganda.

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