It appears Francis has his shoes on in this photo.
Unprecedented? Not so much.
Catholics are turning on Pope Francis in a big way since he returned from Africa. The venom against the Holy Father is something one might expect from Novus Ordo Watch, or the enemies of religion and the Catholic Church - but it is coming from the so-called 'remnant' of faithful Roman Catholics who miss Pope Benedict and John Paul II and are apparently convinced Pope Francis is trying to overturn everything 'they' set in place.
When Pope Francis visited the mosque of Koudoukou, the Christian world reeled - that is, if you believe what some are saying about it. Pope Francis is not the first pope to visit a mosque, remove his shoes, or bow his head in prayer - or seek peace between the two faiths.
A disabled JPII - First Pope to visit a mosque.
No shoes. Prays.
A very able Benedict XVI visits mosque,
removes shoes ...
Inclines head in prayer...
“Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters. We must therefore consider ourselves and conduct ourselves as such. We are well aware that the recent events and acts of violence which have shaken your country were not grounded in properly religious motives. Those who claim to believe in God must also be men and women of peace”. The Holy Father addressed these words to the Muslim community of the Central African Republic this morning in the mosque of Koudoukou, a few kilometres from Bangui. Francis was received by five imams who accompanied him to the podium situated in the mosque, a short distance away from the area reserved for prayer. The event was attended by around two hundred people. - VaticanNews
May 14, 1999
April 17, 2008
The day after his birthday,
Benedict received a silver-plated Koran.
