Pope Francis calls on Christians to forgive in land ISIS once ruled
By Nicole Winfield and Sumya Kullab
Published
Pope Francis holds first-ever papal mass in Iraq
Pope Francis became the first Bishop of Rome to hold mass in Iraq on March 6, 2021. (Credit: Vatican News via Storyful)
QARAQOSH, Iraq (AP) - Pope Francis urged Iraq’s Christians on Sunday to forgive the injustices against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild as he visited the wrecked shells of churches and met ecstatic crowds in the community’s historic heartland, which was nearly erased by the Islamic State group’s horrific reign.