Pope encourages Senegal to respect religious differences

Published: 2004-05-13

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a brief meeting with President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Pope John Paul II urged the West African nation to continue its efforts to build national unity by promoting respect for religious and ethnic differences. "I ask the Most High to support the efforts of all those who are engaged in building a society based on justice and peace," the pope said during the May 13 audience. A truly just and peaceful society, he said, must be based on "respect for the religious values and traditions of each one." About 94 percent of Senegal's population is Muslim; Christians, most of whom are Roman Catholic, make up about 5 percent of the population.

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