Pope Francis left Rome on Saturday (March 30) to make a lightning trip to Morocco to promote inter-religious dialogue and support efforts by the North African country's King Mohammed VI to spread a moderate form of Islam.
Francis, who will spend only about 27 hours in the country, is making his first visit there and the first by a pope since 1985.
Shortly after he arrives, Francis and the king will visit an institute the monarch founded in 2015 for the training of imams and male and female preachers of Islam. The Vatican said it will be the first time a pope visits such a school.
The Vatican considers the trip a spiritual continuation of Francis' historic visit to the United Arab Emirates last month, when he became the first pope to set foot on the Arabian Peninsula.
REUTERS