“In democratic and pluralistic societies like Kenya, cooperation between religious leaders and communities becomes an important service to the common good”, said Pope Francis in his second address in Africa, recalling that “religious beliefs and practice condition who we are and how we understand the world around us. They are for us a source of enlightenment, wisdom and solidarity, and thus enrich the societies in which we live”. “By caring for the spiritual growth of our communities, by forming minds and hearts in the truths and values taught by our religious traditions, we become a blessing to the communities in which our people live”, Pope Francis remarked. “In this light, and in an increasingly interdependent world – he continued -, we see ever more clearly the need for interreligious understanding, friendship and collaboration in defending the God-given dignity of individuals and peoples, and their right to live in freedom and happiness”. “By upholding respect for that dignity and those rights”, the religions “play an essential role in forming consciences, instilling in the young the profound spiritual values of our respective traditions, and training good citizens, capable of infusing civil society with honesty, integrity and a world view which values the human person over power and material gain”.