Pope Francis called for an end to interreligious violence as he visited a mosque in a Muslim neighborhood of the Central African Republic (CAR) capital, where thousands of beleaguered Muslims have been trapped by Christian militias.
The pontiff concluded his three-nation Africa visit with a two-day trip to CAR, which has been beset by fighting between mainly Christian anti-Balaka and largely Muslim Seleka militias, Reuters reported. On Monday, Francis visited the Koudoukou central mosque in a Muslim enclave of Bangui, known as PK5, where at least 100 people have been killed in sectarian violence since September 25, according to Human Rights Watch. Despite security concerns surrounding the CAR leg of his trip, Francis, 78, traveled through the neighborhood in an open-air vehicle and was welcomed by local imam Tidiani Moussa Naibi, who thanked the pope for his visit and said it was “a symbol which we all understand.”
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