Pope Francis concluded his three-day trip to Iraq with a stadium Mass in which he said the country “will always remain with me, in my heart.” America’s Vatican correspondent, Gerard O’Connell, reports.
Vatican Dispatch
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Read: Pope Francis’ homily on the final day of his historic Iraq visit
On the final day of his historic trip to Iraq, Pope Francis said, “To cleanse our hearts, we need to dirty our hands, to feel accountable and not to simply look on as our brothers and sisters are suffering.”
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Pope Francis makes history by meeting Ayatollah al-Sistani, spiritual leader of Iraqi Shia Muslims
On the second day of his trip to Iraq, Pope Francis met with a Shia Muslim leader in Najaf and delivered a message of religious unity in the ancient community of Ur. Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell reports.
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Read: Pope Francis’ prayer for the children of Abraham
Pope Francis’ prayer at the interreligious meeting at Ur, Iraq on Saturday, March 6.
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Interview: How Pope Francis is transforming Catholic-Muslim relations
While churches and mosques have been built for centuries in close proximity to each other, the relationship between those who worship God inside these sacred houses of prayer has not always been as close.
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On his first day in Iraq, Pope Francis encouraged its leaders to embrace its religious and ethnic diversity
Defying the pandemic and the security risks, Pope Francis finally stepped onto Iraqi soil at Baghdad international airport at 12:45 p.m. on March 5, realizing a visit that he had desired from the beginning of his pontificate and that had evaded his predecessors.
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In video message, Pope Francis tells Iraq he will be visiting as a ‘penitent’ and a ‘pilgrim of peace’
Pope Francis told Iraqis that he will be visiting their country in three different roles: as a “penitent pilgrim,” a “pilgrim of peace” and a “pilgrim of hope.”
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‘The Iraqi people are waiting for us’: Why Pope Francis is determined to take this historic trip
“They awaited St. John Paul II, who was not permitted to go. One cannot disappoint a people for the second time,” Pope Francis said ahead of his apostolic visit to Iraq, March 5 to March 8.
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Read: Pope Francis on how Jesus is the reason we can believe in God’s love
Pope Francis’ remarks from his general audience on Wednesday, March 3.
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Pope Francis in Iraq: Everything you need to know about the historic trip
Pope Francis is making history with his trip to Iraq. Follow along.