Iraq’s Catholics begin prayer for Pope’s visit
Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphaël Sako has composed a prayer that the churches across Iraq will recite from Sunday, 17 January, in preparation for the visit of Pope Francis in March.
By Vatican News staff writer
Iraq awaits Pope Francis and prays that his visit may not only happen but also bear fruits of dialogue and peace among the people, long-tried by violence and divisions. The strife-torn nation continues to experience tensions not only along its border with Syria but also within, from Nasiriyah to the area of Mosul, which was the capital of the 'Islamic State' between 2014 and 2017. Thousands of corpses continue to be unearthed from mass graves in Mosul, indicating the extent of terrorism that reigned there under the terror of the Islamic State.