Bergoglio praying toward Mecca Above, you see Pope Bergoglio praying, facing toward Mecca, inside the mosque of Bangui on Monday, November 30, 2015.
Bangui is the capital of the Central African Republic, which has been scourged by civil war since 2012, when the Muslim militia Seleka took power and started a violent persecution against Catholics and Protestants, as we have seen here.
A strong reaction rose up among this population and the persecuted parties formed the Anti-Balaka militia, which has been expelling all Muslims from the country and destroying their mosques.
A remaining group of Muslims still gathers in a neighborhood in Bangui.
It was to protect this group and its mosque that Francis went there to pray and to ask the victorious Catholic and Protestant militias to spare those Muslims. The least one can say is that, with this action, Francis took another symbolic step to promote the dissemination of Islam.
Below first row, after entering the mosque Bergoglio is pictured going to the main area of the mosque to pray facing toward Mecca. Second to fourth rows, he listens to speeches of imams thanking him for the visit. Fifth row, a shot of his arrival at the mosque; sixth row, a general view of the building.
