General
Pope Francis visits war-ravaged northern Iraq, inspects churches damaged by Islamic State
Muslim and Christian residents of the Iraqi city of Mosul have told Pope Francis of their lives under Islamic State’s brutal rule, with the pontiff blessing their wish to rise from ashes and telling them “fraternity is more durable than fratricide”.
Key points:
- The Pope toured an area that was occupied by Islamic State from 2014 to 2017
- Many of Mosul’s churches and mosques have been destroyed by war
- The Pope stressed the need for religious tolerance on his first trip to Iraq
The Pope, on a historic trip to Iraq, flew into Mosul by helicopter on Sunday to encourage the binding of sectarian wounds and to pray for the dead of any religion.
The 84-year-old walked past ruins of houses and churches to a square that was once the thriving centre of…
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