Pope to Meet With Muslims on Final Day of African Trip

Monday, November 30, 2015

Pope Francis greets internally displaced people sheltering on the grounds of the Saint Sauveur church, during his visit in the capital Bangui, Central African Republic, Nov. 29, 2015.

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Pope Francis is meeting Monday with members of the Muslim community in the Central African Republic, a day after calling on warring parties in the country to lay down their weapons and support efforts to end sectarian conflict.

The pope is visiting a mosque in the capital, Bangui, to meet with a group of imams. Later he will celebrate Mass at a stadium before departing the country.

At a Sunday Mass at the Cathedral of Bangui, Pope Francis urged those using weapons to, in his words, "lay down these instruments of death."

"Arm yourselves instead with righteousness, with love and mercy, the authentic guarantors of peace," he said.

Earlier, the pope called for unity and for people not to allow religious differences to divide them. In remarks at the presidential palace in Bangui, Francis said he hopes upcoming elections will allow the country to "embark serenely on a new chapter of its history."

Ahead of his arrival, President Catherine Samba-Panza said people see Pope Francis as a messenger of peace and hoped he would inspire a national push for Central Africans to accept each other.

The CAR has endured nearly three years of violence since a mostly Muslim rebel group, the Seleka, overthrew President Francois Bozize in March of 2013. Killings by the Seleka triggered the rise of mainly Christian militias known as the anti-Balaka.

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