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Pope Francis has led prayers in Mosul on his tour of Iraq, a former stronghold of the Islamic State terror group.
Pope He flew by helicopter from nearby Erbil, and was greeted by crowds in the decimated north Iraqi city, where only a handful of Christian families now live.
Thousands of Christians fled the area during the Islamic State occupation, where they faced conversion, death, or taxes by non-Muslims.
The papacy visited an area that was ruined by ISIS during its occupation.
On the way to the site, he stopped by the ruins of houses and cathedrals that had been destroyed by IS violence, for a moment of silence.
He then participated in the service from a once bustling city square surrounded by the ruins of several damaged churches, which were destroyed when ISIS invaded the area in 2014.
“How cruel it is that this country, the cradle of civilization, has been struck by such a barbarous coup, with former places of worship destroyed and many thousands of people – Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and others – forcibly displaced or killed.” . he told the crowd.
“Today, however, we reaffirm our conviction that brotherhood is more durable than fratricide, that hope is more powerful than hatred, that peace is more powerful than war.”
Pope Francis added that hope cannot be “silenced by the blood shed by those who pervert the name of God to follow paths of destruction.”
In prayer, he said: “If God is the God of life, because he is, then it is wrong for us to kill our brothers and sisters in his name. If God is the God of peace, because he is, then it is wrong that let us wage war on their behalf.
Pope Francis in Mosul – on the third day of his historic tour
“If God is the God of love, because he is, then it is wrong for us to hate our brothers and sisters.”
He concluded the prayer by saying: “To you we entrust all those whose earthly life was interrupted by the violent hand of their brothers and sisters; we also pray for those who caused so much harm to their brothers and sisters. Repent, touched by the power of your mercy “.
Pope Francis also released a white dove to symbolize peace, a recurring theme for his papal visit.
A white dove is released as a sign of peace
In 2014, at Mosul’s al-Nuri Mosque, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi delivered a sermon in an extremely rare public appearance, announcing the IS caliphate.
Mosul was liberated in July 2017 after a brutal three-year reign of terror in the city, which left an estimated 9,000-11,000 people dead.
The Vatican hopes that the appearance of Pope Francis in Mosul will encourage Christian communities to remain in the area, despite years of violence and persecution.
The pope visited one of the world’s most influential Muslim leaders, Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, on Saturday where the men discussed the problems facing the Christian communities of the country.
Pope Francis arrives to observe a minute of silence in the destroyed cathedral
After the meeting, al Sistani said he wanted Muslims and Christians to coexist in Iraq, and called on other religious leaders to hold the great powers accountable and for wisdom and common sense to prevail over war.
Later on Sunday, Pope Francis will travel to the Christian village of Qaraqosh, where he will visit the Church of the Immaculate Conception, before returning to Erbil to celebrate Mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium.
