In his opening speech at a synod of African Catholic bishops in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI has fiercely criticised what he called a new form of colonialism by Western countries.

He said that while the days of political colonialism were over, Africans are now facing a new threat from the West. The West, he said, exports "poisonous waste" to Africa, by which he meant materialism and a lack of moral values. He then went on to praise the cultural and spiritual wealth of the African continent and called it the "spiritual lungs" of the world.

Close to 200 bishops from 53 African counties are attending the synod in Rome. During the three days it lasts they will discuss the role the Roman Catholic Church can play in the struggle against social injustice on the continent.

This is the second time the city has held a synod for African bishops. The first took place in 1994, during the time of the genocide in Rwanda.

The Roman Catholic Church is growing faster in Africa than anywhere else in the world. In the past three decades, the number of Catholics on the continent has quadrupled.

Photo of Pope Benedict XVI from Wikimedia Commons