Pope Benedict: We Are Not Better Than Africa

(Reuters) - Pope Benedict said on Saturday the developed world could not continue to look down on Africa "with the judgmental tone of a moralizer" and impose rules, but must come up with real partnership solutions to solve the continent's many problems.

The 84-year-old pope made his appeal in an address to officials of Benin, including President Thomas Boni Yayi and the diplomatic corps, on the second day of his trip to the West African nation.

"Too often our mind is blocked by prejudices or by images which give a negative impression of the realities of Africa, the fruit of a bleak analysis," he said.

"It is tempting to point to what does not work; it is easy to assume the judgmental tone of the moralizer or of the expert who imposes his conclusions and proposes, at the end of the day, few useful solutions."