SHAFAQNA- Pope Francis has called on Christians to return to Mosul.
“We have seen a lot of cooperation during the trip to Iraq,” the pope said in a speech at the Hosh al-Bieaa Church in Mosul, noting that the decline in the number of Christians in the Middle East is a great loss.
Emphasizing that the Great Mosque of al-Nuri and the Al Hadba Minaret in Mosul City, are two symbols of closeness to God and that the distance from divine values causes the spread of evil, he added: “We prayed for mercy to fall on the victims of terrorism.”
The pope entered the Hosh al-Bieaa Church in Mosul today (Sunday), and the old residents of Mosul, from all walks of life, warmly welcomed him, and Iraqi children held flags and flowers in their hands.
It is worth mentioning that Pope Francis arrived in Mosul on the third day of his trip to Iraq, after Erbil.
This news is originally published by Shafaqna Persian and translated by Shafaqna English