Pope ends Africa tour with visit to CAR mosque

Pope ends Africa tour with visit to CAR mosque

Pope ends Africa tour with visit to CAR mosque

POPE Francis ventured into one of the world’s
most dangerous neighborhoods yesterday to
implore Christians and Muslims to end a spiral of
hate, vendetta and bloodshed that has killed
thousands over the past three years and divided
a nation.
Ending his three-nation Africa tour
under intense security, Francis passed
through a no-man’s zone to enter PK5, a
district where most Muslims who have
not fled Central African Republic’s
capital Bangui have now sought refuge.
He later celebrated Mass in the national
stadium before flying back to Rome.
The PK5 neighborhood has been cut off
from the rest of the city for the past two
months by a ring of so-called anti-balaka
Christian militias, who block supplies
from entering and Muslims from leaving.
A heavy deployment of United Nations
(UN) peacekeepers with rifles and bullet-
proof vests was present throughout PK5
and armored vehicles mounted with
machine guns were positioned along the
route of Pope Francis’ motorcade.
UN sharpshooters looked out from the
tops of the minarets crowning the
freshly repainted green and white
mosque, where hundreds of PK5’s
Muslims listened as Francis made an
impassioned appeal for an end to the
violence.
“Christians and Muslims are brothers
and sisters,” he said after a speech by
Imam Tidiani Moussa Naibi, one of the
local religious leaders trying to foster
dialogue.
“Those who claim to believe in God must
also be men and women of peace,” he
said, noting that Christians, Muslims and
followers of traditional religions had
lived together in peace for many years.
He appealed for “an end to every act
which, from whatever side, disfigures
the face of God and whose ultimate aim
is to defend particular interests by any
and all means.”
Central African Republic descended into
chaos in early 2013 when mainly Muslim
Seleka rebels seized power in the
majority Christian country, sparking
reprisals from Christian militias. Leaders
from both sides say the hatred has been
manipulated for political gain.
Healing rifts between Christian and
Muslim communities has been a theme
throughout Francis’ first visit to the
continent, which has also taken him to
Kenya and Uganda.
However, nowhere is his call for peace
and reconciliation more pressing than in
Central African Republic, where
thousands have died and hundreds of
thousands have been displaced in
clashes that have split the country along
religious lines.
“Together, we must say no to hatred, to
revenge and to violence, particularly
that violence which is perpetrated in the
name of a religion or of God himself.
God is peace, ‘salam,’” the pope said,
using the Arabic word for peace.
Unprecedented security measures have
been laid on for the pontiff’s two-day
visit to the former French colony, which
took place amid a surge in violence.
In addition to around 500 national
police and gendarmes, Central African
Republic’s United Nations peacekeeping
mission brought in additional forces and
deployed over 3,000 soldiers in an
attempt to secure the city during the
pope’s visit. French troops based in
Bangui were also on alert.
Tit-for-tat killings in and around the tiny
PK5 enclave have claimed at least 100
lives since late September, according to
Human Rights Watch.
Imam Naibi has called PK5 “an open-air
prison”, but on Monday he struck a
optimistic tone.
“The relationship between our Christian
brothers and sisters and ourselves is so
deep that no maneuver seeking to
undermine it will succeed,” he told the
pope.
“The Christians and Muslims of this
country are obliged to live together and
love each other.”
Both Christians and Muslims have
welcomed the pope’s visit, hoping he can
spur renewed dialogue and help restore
peace.
Thousands of Muslims lined the roads of
PK5 to get a glimpse of the pontiff, and a
group of young Muslims in cars and
motorbikes ventured out of the enclave,
following the pope’s motorcade as it
headed to the national stadium.
There, Francis was greeted by believers
who packed into its 20,000 seats or onto
the soccer pitch, dancing and singing.
After celebrating a final Mass before the
cheering crowd, the pope took a lap
around the stadium in the back of a
modified Toyota pick-up before heading
to the airport and flying back to Rome.