By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife
BAGHDAD, IRAQ (BosNewsLife)– Pope Francis has visited Iraq to reassure the nation’s dwindling Christian community of his prayers after years of Islamic attacks and persecution.
“We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion,” Francis said at an interfaith service Saturday, one of the many stops on the first-ever papal visit to the war-torn nation.
The leader of more than a billion Catholics visited Christian communities that suffered under the Islamic State group until the jihadists’ caliphate was defeated three years ago.
The 84-year-old, traveling under tight security, lead a prayer “for the victims of the war” in Mosul. It is seen as an ancient crossroads whose center was reduced to rubble by fierce fighting to oust
The Tablet March 9, 2021
Pope Francis talks with a religious leader during an interreligious meeting on the plain of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq, March 6, 2021. (Photo: CNS/Paul Haring)
Pope’s wish is that the struggling Christian minority hangs on
By Inés San Martín
ROME (Crux) On March 7, Pope Francis concluded a three-day whirlwind tour of Iraq that took him to six cities, saw him deliver seven speeches, and marked several historic firsts.
All while defying the year-long coronavirus restrictions, suicide bombings, and rocket attacks. And, much like the United States’ motto, he explained it all with an “in God we trust.”
By Christopher Wells
“Today, I can see at first hand that the Church in Iraq is alive, and that Christ is alive and at work in this, His holy and faithful people,” Pope Francis said in his Homily during the concluding Mass for his Apostolic Journey to Iraq.
The Holy Father based his homily on a passage from St Paul: “Christ, the power and wisdom of God.” Jesus, he said, “revealed that power and wisdom above all by offering forgiveness and showing mercy.”
Signs of Christ’s Kingdom
Pope Francis continued, saying, “Jesus not only cleanses us of our sins, but gives us a share in His own power and wisdom.” Jesus, he said, frees us from “narrow and divisive notions of family, faith and community” to build an inclusive Church and society that cares for our brothers and sisters in need.
ARBIL: Pope Francis vowed Sunday to keep Iraq in his heart, as he concluded the largest mass and final public event of a historic trip meant to encourage the country´s dwindling Christian.
Pope celebrates largest mass on historic Iraq trip
National
March 8, 2021
ARBIL: Pope Francis vowed Sunday to keep Iraq in his heart, as he concluded the largest mass and final public event of a historic trip meant to encourage the country´s dwindling Christian community and deepen interfaith dialogue.
The pontiff celebrated among thousands of smiling worshippers in a sports stadium in the Kurdistan region´s capital Arbil, after visiting Christian survivors of the Islamic State group´s reign of terror. The 84-year-old was driven in his white, windowless pope-mobile into the stadium, where jubilant worshippers sat socially distanced on white chairs spread out on the greens.