Pope Francis's weekend trip to Morocco aims to highlight the North African nation's tradition of Christian-Muslim ties while also letting him show solidarity with migrants at Europe's door and tend to a tiny Catholic flock on the peripheries.
Francis will address the first two items on the agenda Saturday when he begins his 27-hour visit to Rabat, the Moroccan capital. He'll tend to the third when he wraps up the visit with a Mass and a meeting with Moroccan clergy on Sunday.
"Morocco has always been a pioneer in initiatives of dialogue with Christians," said Abdellah Boussouf, an Islamologist and secretary general of the Council of the Moroccan Community Living Abroad.
"Christians have always enjoyed their rights in Morocco, including freedom of movement, church building and marriage."