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Pope Francis presided over a prayer for the souls of war victims in Hosh al-Baya Square in the Iraqi city of Mosul, where he said that the decline in the number of Christians in Iraq and throughout the Middle East is a serious damage. that cannot be estimated.
The Pope called on Christians to return to the city, adding: “The hope of reconciliation is still possible. We welcome the call of Christians to return to Mosul, and we raise our prayers for all the victims of the war.” .
He added: “We affirm our conviction that brotherhood is louder than the voice of hatred and violence.” He added: “Religious affiliations must be transcended to live in peace and harmony.”
The pope arrived on the third day of his visit to Iraq in the city of Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, before being transferred by helicopter to the city of Mosul, where he delivered his speech there.
After Mosul, the Pope went to the Christian city of Qaraqosh, near Mosul, which had suffered from ISIS.
Afterwards, the Pope will lead an open-air mass attended by thousands in Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi region of Kurdistan.
The Pope arrived in Iraq the day before yesterday on a historic visit.
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