Pope calls for religious tolerance

Pope John Paul II ended his first Mass in Kazakstan with a special prayer for Christians and Muslims to work together for peace and not let the 11 September terrorist attacks drive a further wedge between them.

"I wish to make an earnest call to everyone, Christians and the followers of other religions, that we work together to build a world without violence, a world that loves life and grows in justice and solidarity," the pope said.

"We must not let what has happened lead to a deepening of divisions. Religion must never be used as a reason for conflict."

The Pope arrived in Astana late Saturday on his first foreign trip following the terrorist attacks in the United States. The trip brought him to a region where many fear Islamic extremism emanating from nearby Afghanistan ? and where people are also afraid of the consequences of U.S. retaliatory strikes against the country, where suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden is believed to be based.

The Pope used his first Mass in Kazakstan, a largely secular country divided roughly equally between Christians and Muslims, to call for religious reconciliation. Addressing the devout and those "searching for truth," the Pope pleaded for people to follow the "logic of love" propagated by Jesus Christ, "above all through generosity to those in need."

"It is a logic that can bring together Christians and Muslims and commit them to work together for the 'civilization of love,"' the Pope told a crowd of about 50,000 in the city's central Mother of the Homeland Square.

In a special, English-language prayer at the end of the service, John Paul urged both Christians and Muslims to pray for a world where there is "no room for hatred, discrimination or violence."

"From this place, I invite both Christians and Muslims to raise an intense prayer to the One, Almighty God whose children we all are, that the supreme good of peace may reign in the world," the Pope said.

"With all my heart, I beg God to keep the world in peace."

Bundled in scarves and sweaters against the autumn chill, pilgrims began arriving at the square before dawn. A military helicopter circled slowly above, while policemen and security guards scrutinized entry tickets and burrowed through people's bags, inspecting the sausages, bread and apples they brought to help them through the hours-long wait for the Mass to start.

Catholics comprise just 2 to 3 percent of Kazakstan's 15 million population. The majority religions are Islam and Russian Orthodox Christianity.