Pope
Francis today said fundamentalism is not just an Islamic problem and is
something which exists in all religions, including the Catholic church.
The Argentine pontiff was speaking as he flew back from Central African Republic after a three-nation tour of Africa.
He said: 'It is a disease of all religions.We Catholics, we have a few, even many fundamentalists.
'They believe they know absolute truth and corrupt others. I can say this because this is my church.'
In
his last few hours in the country he visited a mosque in the Muslim PK5
area of Bangui, where he was given a rapturous reception by thousands
of people.
The
leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics called on Christian and
Muslim 'brothers and sisters' to end the sectarian conflict that has
torn the country apart.
'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,' he said.
He
also visited Kenya on his trip, where he denounced the radicalisation
of young people, citing 'barbarous attacks' by Islamic extremists in
Nairobi, Garissa and Mandera.
Kenya
has been on the rough end of a number of attacks since it sent its army
into Somalia in 2011, following the kidnappings it blamed on Al-Qaeda's
east Africa wing - the Shebab.
He
hailed Africa as 'the continent of hope' and made a powerful impression
on both Muslim rebels and Christian militias in Central African
Republic.
In
extraordinary scenes before he held a papal mass at the capital's
Barthelemy Boganda stadium, a group of Muslim rebels from the PK5 area
leapt out of two pickup trucks, all wearing T-shirts bearing the Pope's
image.
As
they pushed through the crowd in an area where Muslims usually do not
dare to venture, people cheered and shouted: 'It's over'.
'We thought the whole world had abandoned us, but not him. He loves us Muslims too,' said Idi Bohari, an elderly man.
The
landlocked Central African Republic descended into bloodshed after
longtime Christian leader Francois Bozize was ousted by rebels from the
mainly Muslim Seleka force in March 2013.
The
coup plunged the former French colony into its worst crisis since
independence in 1960, and more than 100 people have been killed in the
capital since late September alone.
After flying back home to Rome today, the Pope spoke in front of his weekly audience in St Peter's Square, Vatican City.
No comments:
Post a Comment