Pope Francis concludes his visit to Iraq: "We hope he will remember us"

It was with a tour of the stadium in a popemobile that Pope Francis began his last mass in Iraqi territory, after having performed a prayer earlier in the day in Mosul for the victims of the war.

An opportunity for him to greet the large crowd gathered for the occasion.

In the stands, the faithful waved the flags of the Vatican and Kurdistan as the Sovereign Pontiff passed.

The homily was intended to be a message of peace evoking the dark years that the country went through. 

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A call for security and peace

"We are here to see this holy man and we hope that he will fill us with his goodness", explains a resident, who tries to meet the gaze of the Pope from the stands.

Mass was celebrated according to the Latin rite, but this did not prevent very oriental tones.

White balloons were released in the sky for the time of an alleluia and a reading of the Gospel in Arabic.

C

was also sung in Chaldean.

In his homily, the Pope inevitably returned to the dark years that Iraq has just experienced.

"In addition to cleaning our hearts, we also need to wash our hands, to feel responsible without just watching when our brothers and sisters are in pain."

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Francis' message, which calls for leaving aside the spirit of vengeance, has been heard by the faithful.

"This is the message of Jesus, a call for security and peace without any spirit of revenge. All we hope now is that he will remember us", explains one of them. them.

The last words of Francis in the land of Iraq, who spent his last night in Baghdad before his return to Rome, are in Arabic "

", God be with you.