Christians, Muslims are brothers

“I can say this because it is my church”, he added. “Religious fundamentalism isn’t religion, it’s idolatry”, he told the press. The once vibrant markets of PK5 have now been largely shuttered and numerous Muslim-owned businesses stand in ruins.

When asked about the so-called Vatileaks trial, the Pope said he “hasn’t lost any sleep” over the trial investigating leaks that revealed alleged financial mismanagement in the Church.

Dear friends, dear brothers, I invite you to pray and work for reconciliation, fraternity and solidarity among all people, without forgetting those who have suffered the most as a result of recent events. But during his first day in a city that has been brutally segregated along religious lines, Francis saw nearly only Christians. But he said that he objected to “casuistic reflections” when lives are at stake, and said that the question reminded him of the challenge to Jesus for healing 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”.

“The problem is bigger”, the Pope said.

Pope Francis said his visit to the nation “would not be complete if it did not include this encounter with the Muslim community”, saying all those who believed in God “must be men and women of peace”. The most unsafe part of his journey was the last, a visit to the war-ravaged Central African Republic.

Francis had insisted on coming to the neighborhood to appeal for peace in a country where two years of Christian-Muslim violence has divided the capital and forced almost 1 million people to flee their homes. “He was intercepted. His body was carried to the mosque”, said Ibrahim Hassan Frede, spokesman for the Coordination of Central African Muslim Associations.

“One of the most-rare values today is that of brotherhood”, a value essential for peace, he said.

Pope Francis gestures during a meeting with the media onboard the papal plane while en route to Rome, Italy, November 30, 2015. “Every year the problems are getting worse”.

“We are on the verge of suicide, to put it strongly”, he said.

The pope grudgingly admitted condoms are “one of the methods” which could prevent the spread of the HIV virus that causes AIDS, but was not pleased by the topic being raised.

“If humanity doesn’t change course, misery, tragedies, [and] wars will continue, children will keep dying from hunger and injustice”, he said, pointedly asking what the small percentage of elites “that has in its hands 80 percent of the world’s wealth” thinks about the situation. According to reporters traveling with Francis the pope seemed to see that as a highlight of the trip.

Also, the pope confirmed that next year he planned to visit Mexico and hoped to be able to visit Armenia.