Francis received a raucous welcome at both a medical centre specialising in Aids treatment and a rain-soaked sports stadium full of singing and dancing followers.
At the Mass, Francis urged an estimated 60,000 Mozambicans to continue on the path of post-civil war reconciliation.
But he warned of the dangers of corruption and the injustices committed when public officials claim to help the poor but have personal interests at heart.
“Mozambique is a land of abundant natural and cultural riches, yet paradoxically, great numbers of its people live below the poverty line,” Francis told the faithful at Mass in the Zimpeto stadium.
“And at times it seems that those who approach with the alleged desire to help have other interests. Sadly, this happens with brothers and sisters of the same land, who let themselves be corrupted.”
Mozambique is ranked among the most corrupt countries by Transparency International, which cites recent estimates that corruption cost Mozambique some 4.9 billion dollars from 2002-2014.
More recently, Mozambique plunged into financial crisis in 2016 after a scandal came to light involving some 2 billion dollars in undisclosed government-guaranteed loans that were ostensibly meant to acquire fishing vessels but instead went to three state security services to buy weapons.
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