“Today Bangui is the spiritual capital of the world… the Holy Year of Mercy begins earlier in this land that has suffered for many years as a result of war‚ hatred‚ misunderstanding and a lack of peace.”

So said Pope Francis of the Central African Republic‚ the third country he visited on his three-nation tour of North Africa.

Tensions have been high after months of violence in the country‚ and there were fears for the safety of the pontiff‚ who was determined to make the trip despite warnings.

The Pope held a meeting at the Grand Mosque of Koudoukou in Bangui‚ the capital of CAR‚ at which Muslims and Christians listened to his speech calling for peace.

The Pope arrived in the country on Sunday‚ and visited a camp for 3‚000 internally displaced people in the heart of the capital.

The country descended into bloodshed after Christian leader Francois Bozize was ousted by rebels from the mainly Muslim Seleka force in March 2013

The coup sparked off a wave of violence between Muslim rebels and Christian “anti-balaka” militias‚ plunging the former French colony into its worst crisis since independence in 1960.

On Monday afternoon‚ Pope celebrated Mass at Bangui’s Barthélémy Boganda Stadium for thousands of the faithful from the Central African Republic‚ Radio Vatican reported.

“Looking towards the world to come‚” he said‚ “has always been a source of strength for Christians‚ of the poor‚ of the least‚ on their earthly pilgrimage. Eternal life is not an illusion; it is not a flight from the world. It is a powerful reality which calls out to us and challenges us to persevere in faith and love.”