Pope Francis (L) speaks with Iraq’s President Barham Salih (R) before departing for Rome at Baghdad International Airport on Monday. Photo courtesy of Iraqi president’s press office | License Photo
Pope Francis arrives at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil, Iraq on Sunday, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region. Photo courtesy of Iraqi president’s press office | License Photo
Francis (C) is welcomed by President Nechirvan Barzani (R) of the autonomous Kurdistan region on his arrival at Arbil airport in Iraq on Sunday. The pope visited areas hit hard by the Islamic State. Photo courtesy of Office of the President of Kurdistan/UPI | License Photo
Pope Francis speaks at Hosh al-Bieaa Church Square in Mosul. Photo by Murtaja Lateef/UPI | License Photo
Francis speaks at the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira-l-Kubra), in the predominantly Christian town of Qaraqosh. Photo courtesy of Office of the Iraqi President/UPI | License Photo
Francis speaks at the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. Photo courtesy of Office of the Iraqi President/UPI | License Photo
Members of the Iraqi security forces along with security personnel surround the car transporting Francis as it arrives at the square near the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira-l-Kubra), near Mosul. Photo courtesy of Office of the Iraqi President/UPI | License Photo
Iraqis including Christians and Muslims wait for the arrival of Pope Francis to perform a prayer in Mosul. Photo by Murtaja Lateef/UPI | License Photo
Iraqi security forces take up positions as Pope Francis prays for the victims of the war in Mosul. Photo by Murtaja Lateef/UPI | License Photo
Francis celebrates mass at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Baghdad on Saturday. Photo by Murtaja Lateef/UPI | License Photo
Pope Francis celebrates mass at Saint Joseph Cathedral. Photo by Murtaja Lateef/UPI | License Photo
Pope Francis celebrates mass at Saint Joseph Cathedral. Photo by Murtaja Lateef/UPI | License Photo
Francis leaves after his meeting with Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Photo courtesy of the Office of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani/UPI | License Photo
Pope Francis (R) meets with Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in Najaf, Iraq on Saturday. Photo courtesy of the Office of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani/UPI | License Photo
“From this place, where faith was born, from the land of our father Abraham, let us affirm that God is merciful and that the greatest blasphemy is to profane his name by hating our brothers and sisters,” Francis said during the meeting in Ur. “Hostility, extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart: they are betrayals of religion.” Photo by Murtaja Lateef/UPI | License Photo
Francis speaks during an interfaith service with many of Iraq’s religious minorities in attendance, at the House of Abraham in the ancient city of Ur. Photo courtesy of Office of the Iraqi President/UPI | License Photo
Pope Francis (L) told attendees at the meeting, “The blessed place brings us back to our origins, to the sources of God’s work, to the birth of our religions.” Photo by Murtaja Lateef/UPI | License Photo
An image of Francis is displayed on a screen before the start of an interreligious meeting at the ruins of Ur. Photo by Murtaja Lateef/UPI | License Photo
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi (R) receives Francis upon his arrival in the capital Baghdad on Friday. Photo courtesy of Office of the Iraqi President/UPI | License Photo
Francis arrives at Baghdad International Airport, where a welcoming ceremony was held to start his historic tour. Photo by Humam Mohamed/UPI | License Photo
Francis stands in front of a huge billboard bearing portraits of Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani (R) in central Baghdad. Photo courtesy of Office of the Iraqi President/UPI | License Photo
Kadhemi (R) welcomes Pope Francis upon his arrival at Baghdad Airport. Photo courtesy of Office of the Iraqi President/UPI | License Photo
A welcoming ceremony was held for the pope at the airport to start his historic tour in Iraq. Photo by Humam Mohamed/UPI | License Photo
Francis said he felt compelled to make the risky visit because the people of Iraq “have suffered so much.” Photo courtesy of Office of the Iraqi President/UPI | License Photo
Iraqi President Barham Saleh (R) greets Francis at Baghdad’s presidential palace. Photo by Humam Mohamed/UPI | License Photo
“Only if we learn to look beyond our differences and see each other as members of the same human family will we be able to begin a process of rebuilding and leave future generations a better, more just and humane world,” Francis said in his welcoming address at the palace. Photo by Humam Mohamed/UPI | License Photo
