The Holy Father responded in Italian to the words of welcome from the Rector of the Great Mosque, Mohamed Mamoun Al Qasimi.

Thank you for this reflection and for these words, which are so important during this visit, from a place that represents the space that is of God; a divine, sacred space where so many people come to pray in order to find the presence of the Most High, of God, in their lives.

As you know, I come to Algeria with great joy because it is also the land of my spiritual father, Saint Augustine. He sought to teach the world so many things, above all through the search for truth, the search for God, recognizing the dignity of every human being, and the importance of building peace.

To seek God is also to recognize the image of God in every creature, in the children of God, in every man and woman created in God’s image and likeness. For us, this means that it is very important to learn to live together with respect for the dignity of every human person.

There is another value that you have chosen to include in this beautiful center: alongside the mosque, a place of prayer, there is also an educational center. How important it is for human beings to develop the intellectual capacity that God has given us, so that we may discover how great creation is, the greatness of what God has left us in all of creation and especially in the human person!

Through the spirit, through this place of prayer, through the search for truth, which also includes study, and through the ability to recognize the dignity of every human being, we know – and today’s meeting is proof of this – that we can learn to respect one another, live in harmony and build a world of peace.

This afternoon I pray for you, for the people of Algeria, and for all the peoples of the earth, that the peace and justice of the Kingdom of God may also be present among us. And may all of us be even more convinced of the need to be promoters of peace, reconciliation, forgiveness and of what God truly wills for all his creation.