Pope, Tanzanian president discuss pacification in central Africa

Published: 2007-10-19

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete held talks on pacification in central Africa and the importance of Christian-Muslim cooperation. The pope and the Tanzanian president met for 15 minutes of private discussions Oct. 19. Afterward, Kikwete held separate talks with the Vatican's top foreign affairs officials. A Vatican statement said the talks touched on Tanzania's role in working out peace agreements among the Great Lakes countries of central Africa. Kikwete recently hosted a one-day summit to ease tensions along the Uganda-Congo border, where the discovery of oil has generated a dispute. The Vatican said the talks also focused on "the importance of peaceful coexistence and collaboration between believers of all religions, in particular between Christians and Muslims."

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