"Iraq will always stay with me," says Pope Francis as he concludes his three-day visit
Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass at Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq on March 7, 2021. REUTERS - YARA NARDI
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
The Pope's visit to Iraq ended on Sunday.
Last highlight: a mass celebrated in front of thousands of faithful in the north of the country, plagued by the exactions of the jihadists.
Abuses directly suffered by Christians in Iraq.
What conclusions can we draw from this visit?
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With our special correspondent in Baghdad,
Arthur Herlin
“
A success from all points of view.
This is how the trip of Pope Francis, a prelate of his delegation, described as the Pope multiplied the highlights: from Baghdad to Mosul via Erbil, each of the stages kept its promises.
In terms of inter-religious dialogue first: representatives of religions that make up Iraq all have answered the call of Ur, showing sensitive to exhortations to
re
conciliation and brotherhood
.
The meeting had so much impact that it was declared an annual Tolerance Day.
Same results after the meeting with the very influential leader of the Iraqi Shiites Ali Sistani who assured the Pope that he wanted Christians to live like all Iraqis in peace and security.
►
See also: Iraq: historic meeting between Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani
It is therefore satisfied that the Pope was able to go to the bedside of the victims of the war against the Islamic State (IS) group.
There, he offered the world an unprecedented image by arousing jubilation among the inhabitants of Mosul and Qarakosh, yet in the middle of the rubble.
"
Our meeting
," he said, "
shows that terrorism and death never have the last word
."
"
Brotherhood is stronger than fratricide,
" he told them again.
►
To read also: In Mosul and Qaraqosh, Pope Francis meets the last Christians in northern Iraq
In the Erbil stadium, the last stop on his journey, the Pope celebrated Mass in front of at least 10,000 people to whom he confided final words.
“
The time to return to Rome is now approaching for me
,” he said, “
but Iraq will always remain in my heart.
I ask you to work together for a future of peace.
"
Salam, salam, salam,
" he then hammered to the crowd.
♦ An event celebrated by the Iraqis
Pope Francis left no one indifferent during this tour, reports
our correspondent in Baghdad,
Lucie Wassermann,
who has gathered the reactions in Iraq.
It is a cry of joy and hope unanimously launched by the Iraqi people.
Faced with the visit of Pope Francis in the country, all the inhabitants rejoiced at the many messages of peace which have finally poured into these lands mined by decades of war.
Some, dreamers, think that this is a turning point in the country.
Others do not want to be deluded and do not think that the face of Iraq will change overnight.
Still others, more down to earth, think of tourist activities that could be carried out in the footsteps of the Sovereign Pontiff.
For its part, the Iraqi press also celebrated this trip.
While the country's television channels broadcast the visit live, the newspapers focused on the meeting which they said particularly marked this trip: that between Pope Francis and the great Ayatollah Ali Sistani, described as "
historic
" and as a true model of "
peaceful coexistence between different religions
".
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Iraq
Pope Francis
Religion