Pope Francis Calls for Friendship

On the occasion of the 100th birthday of the church St. Augustine of Hippo in Algeria, Pope Francis is calling for better relations between Christians and Muslims in a country where Islamic extremism is a primary source of pressure on Christian life.

 

Pope Francis encourages the Christians, a minority in Algeria representing less than 1% of Algeria’s 38 million inhabitants, “to be witnesses of the Catholic Church, more open to friendship and inter-religious dialogue”,

 

Algeria is ranked No. 32 in the 2014 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, and gets 54 points (51 points in 2013) because the position of Christians in the country remains as challenging as before, and has even worsened.

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