Under tight security, pope urges peace in central Africa

Pope Francis greets a crowd on a street as he arrives at the Saint Sauveur church, during his visit to the capital Bangui, Central African Republic, November 29, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

Bangui: Protected by the heaviest security ever seen on his trips, Pope Francis on Sunday preached reconciliation in the divided Central African Republic, a nation racked by bloodshed between Muslims and Christians.

As the pope's Alitalia plane touched down from Uganda to start his first visit to a war zone, attack helicopters patrolled the skies and armoured personnel carriers from French and U.N. peacekeeping forces waited outside the airport.