In photos: Pope Francis spreads message of peace on first trip to Iraq
lifestyle and leisure
Pope Francis was on Sunday visiting northern areas of Iraq once held by Islamic State militants.Why it matters: This is the first-ever papal trip to Iraq. The purpose of Francis' four-day visit is largely intended to reassure the country's Christian minority, who were violently persecuted by ISIS, which controlled the region from 2014-2017.The big picture: On the third day of his historic trip to Iraq, which is heavily featured in the Old Testament, the pope met at the the city of Erbil's airport Sunday with Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, and Masrour Barzani, the region's prime minister.He then flew by helicopter to the former ISIS stronghold of Mosul.On Saturday, he met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the head of the Shiite Islam religious establishment in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, where he denounced extremism in the country and pushed for peace.What they're saying: "We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion," the pope said. "Dark clouds of terrorism, war and violence have gathered over this country. All its ethnic and religious communities have suffered.""From this place, where faith was born, from the la...
Axios
Mar 07, 2021