Pope in Albania urges Muslims to condemn extremism

TIRANA, Albania — Pope Francis has called on moderate Muslims and all religious leaders to condemn Islamic extremists who "pervert" religion to justify violence, as he visited Albania and held it up as a model for interfaith harmony.

One of the highlights of Francis' visit was a meeting Sunday with representatives of Albania's Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic communities, which all suffered persecution under communism but now live and work together peacefully.

Francis said religious intolerance was an "insidious enemy" particularly alive in parts of the world today. He urged all believers to "firmly refute as false" any perversion of religion for the sake of violence.

He said: "To kill in the name of God is a grave sacrilege. To discriminate in the name of God is inhuman."

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