Pope to open special meeting

In Rome, Pope Benedict will open a special Synod on Africa; a three week long meeting of African Bishops.

The Catholic Church is growing faster in Africa than in any other part of the world.

The number of African Catholics has more than doubled to nearly 150 million during the past thirty years however, the continent is plagued by poverty, regional wars and in some parts, growing religious conflict between Christians and Muslims.

David Willey sent this report from Rome.