Pope Francis speaks while seated on the podium at the square near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira-l-Kubra), in the old city of Iraq s northern Mosul on March 7, 2021. | AFP via Getty Images/ZAID AL-OBEIDI
Pope Francis visited the ruins of Mosul and a Christian community damaged by the Islamic State during the third day of his historic visit to Iraq Sunday. The day earlier, the pontiff visited the birthplace of Abraham, met with a prominent Shia cleric and gave a sermon in Baghdad.
“How cruel it is that this country, the cradle of civilization, should have been afflicted by so barbarous a blow, with ancient places of worship destroyed,” the 84-year-old pope said Sunday, according to Reuters, as he met with Muslim and Christian residents in a destroyed portion of Mosul Sunday.
Despite years of fierce persecution : Pope Francis acknowledges vitality of the Church in Iraq - Middle East - International - News catholic.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from catholic.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pope, top Iraq Shiite cleric deliver message of coexistence
Pope Francis meets with top Iraq Shiite cleric By Associated Press | March 6, 2021 at 12:28 AM CST - Updated March 7 at 7:20 PM
PLAINS OF UR, Iraq (AP) â Pope Francis walked through a narrow alley in Iraqâs holy city of Najaf for a historic meeting with the countryâs top Shiite cleric Saturday, and together they delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence in a country still reeling from back-to-back conflicts over the past decade.
In a gesture both simple and profound, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani welcomed Francis into his spartan home. The 90-year-old cleric, one of the most eminent among Shiites worldwide, afterward said Christians should live in peace in Iraq and enjoy the same rights as other Iraqis. The Vatican said Francis thanked al-Sistani for having âraised his voice in defense of the weakest and most persecutedâ during some of the most violent times in Iraqâs recent
Pope Francis spent the final day of his historic trip to Iraq visiting areas in which the country’s Christian minority has traditionally had a sizeable presence and the capital of the Kurdish region, to which many have fled amid improved but still fragile security.
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