Pope Francis tells Belfast festival to keep 'building bridges'

A goodwill video message from the Pope was broadcast during the opening night of a cross-community festival in Belfast on Sunday.

The three-minute video from Pope Francis included an appeal for people to continue to "pull down walls and build bridges".

It was shown to open the 4 Corners Festival at St Anne's Cathedral.

Now in its 10th year, the week-long festival seeks to bring people together from all parts of Belfast.

In his message, the Pope thanked Catholic priest Fr Martin Magill and Presbyterian minister the Rev Steve Stockman, who set up the annual festival, for their "gesture of walking together, a gesture of opening horizons".

'Pull down walls'

Pope Francis said it was important to avoid the separation of communities.

He said: "When we close in our own story, we don't grow, it's a sad story."

Praising the Belfast festival, he said: "People mix in the best sense, they talk to one another, they express themselves, listen to each other, walk together."

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Concluding his message, he said: "We have to pull down walls and build bridges. May God bless you.

"Pray for me, please, and I will pray for you."

The Pope, who is from Argentina, spoke in Spanish but his video included English subtitles.