Pope, Muslims embrace hope
BANGUI, Central African Republic — Pope Francis made a historic visit to the last remaining Muslim neighborhood in Central African Republic’s capital Monday, a move that almost immediately opened up a part of the divided city troubled for months by retaliatory violence between Muslim and Christian militias.
Moments after he left, hundreds of Muslims who had essentially been barricaded inside by armed Christians burst into what had been a no-man’s land only a day earlier.
Some jubilant residents even followed the pope into the city center shouting, “The war is over!” — a hopeful sign for potential reunification.
The bold visit by the pope, who traveled into the most volatile part of Bangui in his open-air popemobile, underscored his message of faith over fear. He was not without heavy security, though, including armed peacekeepers in the central mosque’s minarets high above the crowds.
Francis had insisted on visiting the PK5 neighborhood to appeal for peace in a country where two years of Christian-Muslim violence has forced nearly 1 million people to flee their homes, including thousands living in a camp at the airport, amid wrecked planes. The neighborhood’s once vibrant markets are now largely shuttered and many of the Muslim-owned businesses stand in ruins.
At the Central Mosque, Pope Francis removed his shoes, bowed his head and stood silently at the mihrab, or area of the mosque that faces Mecca.
About 200 men seated inside the mosque welcomed Francis, who sat on a sofa next to the imam. In comments, Francis said that Muslims and Christians are brothers and must treat each other as such.
“Christians and Muslims and members of traditional religions have lived peacefully for many years,” the pontiff said. “Together, we say ‘no’ to hatred, to vengeance and violence, especially that committed in the name of a religion or God.”
The mosque’s chief imam, Tidiani Moussa Naibi, thanked Francis for his visit, calling it “a symbol which we all understand.”