A group of Muslim rebels joined thousands of people at the mass at the Barthelemy Boganda stadium.
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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 Muslims who live on the grounds of Nary’s church may now venture out occasionally into town, though they always return at night because of the precarious security that still reigns, he said.
It did not deter Francis.
Pope Francis visited a mosque in a Muslim neighborhood of the Central African Republic’s capital that has been a flashpoint for violent clashes, continuing his message of religious tolerance on the final leg of his African tour. After speaking out against corruption and inequality in Kenya and Uganda, Francis arrived here as the country tries fitfully to recover from two years of bruising, bitter conflict.
“It is my fervent wish that the various national consultations to be held in coming weeks will enable the country to embark serenely on a new chapter of its history”, he said ahead of a first round of presidential and legislative elections scheduled for December 27.
Leaders of every religion must teach values, and that is what is happening in Central African Republic, Pope Francis said.
France, the former colonial power, sent in more than 1,000 troops to quell the fighting, but some of the soldiers were soon embroiled in accusations of child sexual abuse.
Efforts from the United Nations to broker a peace deal have failed so far. Some of them have also been accused of sexual abuse and exploitation.
The pope’s visit immediately ushered in a greater sense of freedom to the beleaguered area.
“Christians and Muslims and members of traditional religions have lived peacefully for many years”. It was beefed up for the pope’s visit by a special unit of 250 peacekeepers from the United Nations mission in Ivory Coast.
Marking the first Sunday of Advent at the Mass with priests, religious, catechists and youths, Pope Francis urged the Catholic community to be committed to helping the country make a new start. “There is some resistance but what reassures us are the gestures that we do see on the part of others”, he said. “The Holy Father came and gave us a message of hope”. It turned out he was not, and he was allowed to leave.
He landed on a runway next to a sprawling camp for the internally displaced and then drove along a risky stretch of road in a Toyota SUV with the windows down, waving to the thousands of joyous people who cheered his convoy. He made his way down the line of children, speaking to many individually.
In the same exchange with reporters on his November 30 flight, the Pope repeated his criticism of fundamentalism, including Catholic fundamentalism; conceded that the Catholic Church “faces a bit of a predicament” regarding the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS; and said that “a mistake was made” in the appointment of consultants who now face charges for leaking confidential Vatican documents.
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“We are well aware that the recent events and acts of violence which have shaken your country were not grounded in properly religious motives”, said the Argentine pontiff. According to The Associated Press, she asked for forgiveness “in the name of the entire governing class of this country and also in the name of all those who have contributed in some way to its descent into hell”.
