Pope in Africa hopes to bridge Christian-Muslim faultlines

Pope Francis (L) greets his host Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta after he delivered his speech during a reception at the State House in Kenya's capital Nairobi, November 25, 2015. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Pope Francis called on Wednesday for ethnic and religious reconciliation at the start of his first tour of Africa, where he will address a fast-growing Catholic population and seek to heal Christian-Muslim divisions.

The trip will see the head of the Catholic Church travel to Kenya and Uganda, both victim of Islamist militant attacks, and the Central African Republic, a country torn apart by Muslim-Christian strife.