On the last leg of a three-nation tour of Africa, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholic visited a flashpoint Muslim neighbourhood in Bangui on what was the most dangerous part of his 24-hour visit.
Thousands of people gathered at the roadside, cheering as his popemobile drove down the red dirt roads. As his vehicle passed, many waving Vatican flags and dressed in long traditional robes, ran down the road after it, an AFP correspondent said.
"Together, we must say no to hatred, to revenge and to violence, particularly that violence which is perpetrated in the name of a religion or of God himself," he said to his mostly Muslim audience.
Francis' message of peace and reconciliation appeared to have made a powerful impression, with a group of Muslim rebels turning up to join tens of thousands watching a papal mass at the capital's Barthelemy Boganda Stadium.
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As they pushed through the crowd in an area where Muslims usually do not dare to venture, people cheered and applauded, shouting: "It's over" in reference to the intercommunal hatred which has blighted the country.
Several hundred people had packed into the mosque, including a number actually living there after being forced out of their homes by the violence.
"We are very proud to welcome him, the pope is not only for the Christians, he is a servant of God for all Central Africans," said Ibrahim Paulin, a spokesman for the displaced.
Perched high on the mosque's minarets were armed UN peacekeepers from the MINUSCA force who were keeping a close eye on the crowds as a helicopter buzzed overhead.
At the edge of the district, armed Muslim rebels stood alert in front of wooden barricades, watching out for any threat from Christian vigilantes.
The 78-year-old pontiff has hammered home a message of peace and reconciliation, ending his visit with a mass at the 20,000-seat stadium, with thousands more watching it on giant screens set up outside.