VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis left Rome Wednsday on an Alitalia flight to Kenya’s capital Nairobi. The pope’s first trip to the African continent will also include visits to Uganda and the Central African Republic (CAR).

  There have been recent concerns for the pontiff’s safety on this trip, so much so that the United Nations is sending robust military support to Bangui, the capital of the impoverished Central African Republic, to ensure the protection of the pontiff for the last leg of his African tour on November 29.

  At least 300 soldiers, who are both well equipped and well trained, will travel from the Ivory Coast to strengthen the pope’s mission that since 2013 has been trying to prevent a genocide between Christians and Muslims.

  The French secret service have recently tried to deter the Vatican from making the trip to CAR, explaining that at this time the Central African Republic seems restless, torn by a civil war with, on the one hand anti-Balaka militias, who are Christian, and on the other the Seleka, Muslims. However, Vatican spokesman, Father Lombardi, has said “There are no new causes for alarm, so for the time there will be no alterations to the programme. The pope really hopes to bring his message of peace.”  

  Two weeks ago, a Blue Helmet was killed in the clashes between the two rival factions, in an area not far from Bangui. The events in Paris have also complicated the overall picture, not to mention that in December, in the Central African Republic, elections will take place and disturbances on the eve of the election will inevitably multiply.

  On his arrival at Bangui, the pope, after opening the door of the cathedral, a gesture that will anticipate the upcoming Jubilee of Mercy, will visit the mosque. He is hoping to encourage interreligious dialogue to promote peaceful coexistence, which can be achieved because “we are all brothers”.

  Meanwhile, Italy is being slightly more cautious regarding its security, as Interior Minister Angelino Alfano has signed an order to expel a Tunisian resident from Lombardy on suspicion of being a terrorist threat. Wiretap surveillance had revealed that the suspect was “willing to become a martyr” (for Islam) and to murder his divorced Italian wife, as he feared she might convert their children to Christianity, said Alfano. 

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