Pope prays for victims of war in north Iraq taipeitimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from taipeitimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pope Francis Prays For Victims Of War In Iraq s Mosul By Catherine Marciano with Sarah Benhaida in Baghdad, Waleed Al-Khaled and Zeid al-Obeidi
03/07/21 AT 3:16 AM
Pope Francis prayed Sunday for victims of war outside a centuries-old church in Iraq s Mosul, where the Islamic State group ravaged one of the world s oldest Christian communities until the jihadists defeat three years ago.
With the crumbling stone walls of the Al-Tahera (Immaculate Conception) Church behind him, Pope Francis made a plea for Christians in Iraq and the Middle East to stay in their homelands. Pope Francis, travelling under tight security in Iraq, will lead a prayer for the victims of the war against IS in the city of Mosul Photo: AFP / Vincenzo PINTO
By Linda Bordoni
Amid the rubble of a church destroyed by conflict and fanaticism, Pope Francis on Sunday led prayers for victims of war and terrorism in Iraq s battle-scarred city of Mosul.
Mosul, in the north of the country, is home to many Iraqi Christian communities who suffered at the hands of so-called Islamic State fighters from 2014 to 2017. Before that it was ravaged by the war led by the US-led coalition in 2003.
UNESCO Director in Iraq, Paolo Fontani, heads efforts to implement projects in the archeology and heritage sector, aiming to preserve ancient Iraqi history.
Among the UNESCO projects is the “Initiative to Revive the Spirit of Mosul,” the restoration of the Old City of Basrah and of the Citadel of Erbil.
Pope Francis' historic visit to northern Iraq to hold prayers at& an ancient church destroyed by ISIL "sends a clear message to the world that harmony.
Pope visits Mosul, holds mass in Arbil kuwaittimes.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kuwaittimes.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.