Pope ‘very upset’ over stampede at stadium in Angola, Vatican says

LUANDA, Angola (AP) — The Vatican spokesman confirmed that a deadly stampede broke out at a stadium a few hours before Pope Benedict XVI addressed young people in Angola.

The Rev. Federico Lombardi says the pope is “very upset” by reports that two people were killed in the crush.

The stampede occurred as the Coqueiros stadium was opening its gates to people waiting outside, about four hours before the pope arrived.

Portuguese news agency LUSA cites an unidentified source at a local hospital as saying a man and a woman were killed, eight others were hospitalized with minor injuries, and 10 were given medical assistance at the site.

An AP reporter saw another stampede break out when the pope arrived, and at least 20 people were taken away in ambulances.

Earlier in the weeklong trip, the pope’s first to Africa, Benedict drew criticism from aid agencies and some European governments when he said condoms were not the answer to Africa’s severe AIDS epidemic, suggesting that sexual behavior was the issue.