Fundamentalism a “disease of all religions”: Pope Francis

Pope Francis said on Monday that fundamentalism is “a disease of all religions” as he returned from a three-nation tour of Africa.

“Fundamentalism is always a tragedy. It is not religious, it lacks God, it is idolatrous,” the pontiff told journalists on the return flight from the Central African Republic. It was there that the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics had called on Christian and Muslim “brothers and sisters” to end the sectarian conflict that had torn the country apart.

Visiting a mosque in the flashpoint Muslim PK5 neighbourhood of the capital Bangui was the most dangerous part of his 24-hour visit to the country. While there,  he was met with a rapturous welcome by thousands of people.

“Together,” he said, “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.”

Francis said Islam was not the only religion to suffer from violent extremists, adding:

“We Catholics, we have a few, even many fundamentalists. They believe they know absolute truth and corrupt others. I can say this because this is my Church.”

Francis also visited Kenya on his trip, where he denounced the radicalisation of young people, citing “barbarous attacks” by Islamic extremists in Nairobi, Garissa and Mandera. He hailed Africa as “the continent of hope” and it appeared he made the most powerful impression in the Central African Republic, a country torn by brutal violence between mostly Muslim rebels and Christian militias for more than two years. People cheered as a group of Muslim rebels from the PK5 area leapt out of two pickup trucks sporting T-shirts bearing the pope’s image to join the crowds before the Pope’s papal mass. People cheered and shouted: “It’s over”.

“We thought the whole world had abandoned us, but not him. He loves us Muslims too,” said Idi Bohari, an elderly man.