Pope to broaden Muslim dialogue with Morocco visit
Pope Francis presents sister Maria Concetta Esu, obstetrician who was working on the mission in Africa, with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal as he holds the Wednesday general audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 27. ReutersPope Francis heads to Morocco on Saturday, the first pope to do so in 35 years, with interreligious dialogue and immigration on the agenda.The Argentine pontiff will be welcomed by the North African country's population of around 30,000 Roman Catholics, mostly sub-Saharan African students or migrants headed for Europe.Up to 10,000 are expected to attend a mass in a Rabat stadium on Sunday, a first in the 99-percent Sunni Muslim country since Jean Paul II visited in 1985.Following on from his visit to the United Arab Emirates in January, the papal mass will come the day after meeting the "Commander of the Faithful" King Mohammed VI and other senior religious leaders.The spiritual leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics has repeatedly called for religious tolerance and dialogue and his visit is keenly awaited by the country's Christian
Mar 28, 2019
