Pope Francis: Christians And Muslims Are Brothers And Sisters

Pope Francis ventured into one of the world's most dangerous neighborhoods on Monday to implore Christians and Muslims to end a spiral of hate, vendetta and bloodshed that has killed thousands over the past three years and divided a nation.

U.N. sharpshooters looked out from the tops of the minarets crowning the freshly repainted green and white mosque, where hundreds of PK5's Muslims listened as Francis made an impassioned appeal for an end to the violence.

"Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters," he said after a speech by Imam Tidiani Moussa Naibi, one of the local religious leaders trying to foster dialogue.

"Those who claim to believe in God must also be men and women of peace," he said, noting that Christians, Muslims and followers of traditional religions had lived together in peace for many years.

"Together, we must say no to hatred, to revenge and to violence, particularly that violence which is perpetrated in the name of a religion or of God himself. God is peace, 'salam,'" the pope said, using the Arabic word for peace.

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