Since taking over the reins of the Roman Catholic Church two years ago, he has proved to be a man of action and words. He was instrumental in the United States and Cuba, making a diplomatic breakthrough after five decades of Cold War tensions.
He has also tried to recast Church teachings for the divorced and gay members. And now, in a ground-breaking trip to the troubled Central African Republic (CAR), he ventured into one of the world’s most dangerous neighbourhoods on Monday to beg Christians and Muslims to end a spiral of hatred, vendetta and bloodshed that has killed thousands over the past three years.
The CAR has been ripped apart by months of bitter sectarian strife between Christians and Muslims and by visiting a mosque there, Pope Francis has shown that there is more that binds than divides. History has a way of casting a long shadow over the events of today. But there is a reality too that in his actions and words in Bangui yesterday, Pope Francis came across as a man who believes in a better tomorrow — one of peace, harmony and tolerance.
