Pope Francis held the largest mass of his historic Iraq trip Sunday after visiting war-scarred cities to comfort Christian survivors of the Islamic State group's reign of terror. The heaviest deployment of security personnel yet is protecting Francis in northern Iraq, on what is perhaps the riskiest day of his historic trip. The pope was driven around the historic Old City -- largely razed during the grinding fight to dislodge the jihadists -- in a golf cart. said Hala Raad, a Christian woman who had fled when IS seized Mosul but returned to see the pope. Pope Francis's trip to Iraq as a "pilgrim of peace" aims to reassure the country's dwindling Christian community, but also to expand his dialogue with other religions.

Source: Mint March 07, 2021 15:11 UTC