French Imams meet the Pope in Vatican The French Jewish writer Marek Halter together with eight imams from France greeted the Pope Francis at the end of the weekly general audience attended by 40,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. In early August, Francis had solemnly called in a christian and muslim message to "break down the barriers of mistrust and contempt by inviting the" mutual respect." Images and soundbites