In Mosul and Qaraqosh, the Pope meets the last Christians in northern Iraq
Pope Francis speaks in the midst of the ruins of Mosul (Iraq) on March 7, 2021. AFP - ZAID AL-OBEIDI
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
This Sunday, March 7, in the middle of the rubble, Pope Francis prayed for the "victims of the war" in northern Iraq, where, three years ago, the jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) group - before being defeated - sowed terror and destroyed thousand-year-old churches.
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With our special correspondent in Qaraqosh,
Artur Herlin
Arrived by helicopter from Erbil, Pope Francis saw the deplorable state of the city of Mosul, the former capital of the Islamic State group.
If the periphery seems well preserved, the historic center still bears the scars of the fighting, particularly visible on the church square where the crowd is gathered.
It is there in the middle of a ruined cloister that Pope Francis is installed under a cross made of wood from a destroyed church.
Festive atmosphere
If the decor is sorry, the atmosphere is festive.
The Mosuliots greeted the Pope in the effervescence with joyful songs and ululations.
Before Iraqis of all faiths, the Pope reiterated that "
fraternity is stronger than fratricide, hope is stronger than death, and peace is stronger than war
", he said. launched with force.
Same atmosphere in Qaraqosh where the Pope went in stride, greeted by a cheering crowd.
In an armored sedan, Pope Francis joined the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
On the road, he stopped several times to bless children: “
I have been looking forward to this moment
, he said.
Our meeting shows that terrorism and death never have the last word.
The time has come to rebuild not only the buildings, but also the bonds that unite the communities
”.
After his speech, the Pope joined the Erbil stadium to celebrate Sunday Mass there.
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To read also:
In Baghdad, Pope Francis celebrates the first papal mass in the history of Iraq
In Iran
, tells
our correspondent in Tehran
,
Siavosh Ghazi
, the newspapers welcomed the Pope's visit to Iraq, a Shiite-majority country like Iran, and especially his meeting with the great Iraqi Ayatollah Ali Sistani.
For the Iranian press, the Pope's visit is the result of the fight led by Iran and its Iraqi allies against the Islamic State group which had sown terror in Iraq.
The press recalls the role played by General Qassem Soleimani in this fight against the extremist group both in Iraq but also in Syria.
For the reformist newspaper
Kargozaran
, the meeting between the two religious leaders is "
the most significant event in the dialogue between religions
".
For their part, conservative newspapers have underlined the role played by the Shiite militias in bringing security and peace to Iraq and allowing such a visit.
In 2014, Grand Ayatollah Sistani issued a
fatwa
calling on all Iraqis to take up arms against the Islamic State group which was on the verge of taking control of Baghdad.
Iran has good relations with the Vatican and has a minority of several hundred thousand Christians, mostly Armenians.
If the press welcomed the visit of Pope Francis, on the other hand, Iranian leaders have not publicly commented on this historic visit.
Iran wields great influence in Iraq, where its allies in the Hachd al-Chaabi militia have played a central role in the fight against the Islamic State group.
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Iraq
Pope Francis
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