Pope Francis called on the Western Balkans to embrace its patchwork of faiths and ethnicities during a visit to North Macedonia on Tuesday, saying "respect for diversity" is key to the region's efforts to integrate with Europe.
The pontiff was welcomed with yellow billboards and buses bearing his smiling face after he touched down in the tiny Balkan state, which is mainly Orthodox Christian but was delighted to welcome him.
Catholics make up only a small sliver -- less than one percent -- of the country of 2.1 million, which is also home to a large ethnic Albanian Muslim minority.
In an address before President Gjorge Ivanov and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Francis praised the "crucible of cultures and ethnic and religious identities" in "your land, a bridge between East and West".
North Macedonia's diversity, which reflects the broader Western Balkan region, forms a "mosaic in which every piece is essential for the uniqueness and beauty of the whole."
"It is my hope that this integration will develop in a way that is beneficial for the entire region of the Western Balkans, with unfailing respect for diversity and for fundamental rights."