Updated

An official with the Catholic Church in Uganda says more than 2 million people are expected to converge near a minor basilica in the Ugandan capital where Pope Francis will celebrate Mass on Saturday.

Vincent Lubega, the rector of the Uganda Martyrs Shrine in Kampala, said Monday he is under pressure to complete renovations ahead of the pope's arrival on Friday.

The shrine is undergoing major renovations — including replacing aluminum with glass on its dome — and repairing the narrow road leading to it.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said in a statement Monday that the pope's "compassion for the poor and his frankness of spirit is an encouragement to all of us who live in the light and stand for the causes that matter to humanity."