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Iraqi patriarch objects to loss of institutional recognition
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Published date: 3 March 2021 13:14 UTC | Last update: 1 month ago
In the Christian-majority, northern Iraqi town of Qaraqosh, a community uprooted by the Islamic State (IS) group in 2014 is now preparing for an event that, just a few years ago, seemed unimaginable: a visit by His Holiness Pope Francis.
When IS entered Qaraqosh, which lies 30km from Mosul, the town s entire population - save two elderly ladies - fled to neighbouring Iraqi Kurdistan, leaving militants to a campaign of looting and destruction. Churches were desecrated, steeples toppled, statues smashed; Christian homes were looted and set ablaze.
After liberation by Iraqi forces in 2016, IS graffiti marred walls across the ruined and deserted town, while a church hall used as an IS bomb-making facility was still full of chemicals, explosive components and IS stencils.
Pope Francis wears a face mask as he arrives at the Spanish Steps in Rome, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020. (Vigili del Fuoco via AP)
News of the pope’s proposed visit in March 2021 to the embattled Christian communities of Iraq brought elation to the people of Qaraqosh, a predominantly Syriac Catholic city in Northern Iraq’s Nineveh province.
Yohanna Towaya, a university professor and Qaraqosh resident, expects that when Pope Francis comes to Nineveh, all the Christians of the city and its surrounding villages will surely attend whatever public Masses or other events are scheduled. “He will give us a hope to stay, and also [his visit] means the Catholic Church does not forget the people of the East.”