“Religious fundamentalism isn’t religion, it’s idolatry”.
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Regarding the pending “Vatileaks” trial, the pope said it’s up to the judges to reveal the truth of what happened. The trial, due to resume at the Vatican today, has been adjourned until next week.
“They looted everything, they burnt my house and I have nothing but I am ready to forget”, she said.
In response, Francis said the Church may seem to face what he called a “perplexity: the fifth or the sixth commandment?”
Under heavy security, Francis crossed into the PK5 neighborhood where Bangui’s Muslims are essentially blockaded in, unable to leave because of the armed Christian militia fighters who surround its perimeter.
Africa, particularly Kenya and Uganda, has suffered greatly from the AIDS epidemic in recent years, and the Catholic Church has come under fire for its opposition to condoms, which health advocates say has exacerbated the problem.
He dismissed this however as “not the problem” and said it reminded him of the question asked Jesus, “Tell me, teacher, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” “It’s mandatory to heal”, he said, citing contemporary African examples of a need for healing in “malnutrition, human exploitation, slave labor, the lack of access to drinkable water”.
Pope Francis said Monday that fundamentalism was “a disease of all religions”, including the Roman Catholic Church, but had nothing to do with God.
The Pope took one of the biggest security risk of his papacy when he delivered a message of peace and reconciliation at a mosque under siege from armed Christian militias the capital of Central African Republic, Bangui.
Returning to Rome from Bangui later that day, the Pope spent more than 60 minutes with reporters in the back of his plane, responding to their questions.
The pontiff’s trip to auto marked his first to a conflict zone and his final stop in his three-nation African tour, which also took him to Kenya and Uganda.
But as roaring crowds lined the roads, standing in front of long-shuttered businesses and schools, it became clear that most people here saw the pope’s arrival as a game-changing moment – perhaps the beginning of a new peace process or renewed global attention. Pope Francis left a simple black pair of Oxfords, while Moon provided two pairs of sneakers.
“We know you are corrupt – you employ people from your communities”, said Mbuvi, referring to Kenyan leaders doling out patronage jobs to their ethnic groups and political allies. One enormous question looms: Will the anti-Balaka fighters who identify as Christian heed the call of Pope Francis? “I think we’re still in a situation that could spiral out of control”.
To say the world’s economy has put profits and not people at the center and to denounce “the idolatry of the god money”, he said, “is not Communism”.
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The pope confirmed that next year he planned to visit Mexico and hoped to be able to visit Armenia.
