Pope Francis returns to Iraqi capital after holding Mass in Kurdistan's Erbil
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – After holding the largest Mass of his three-day trip to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in Erbil, Pope Francis on Sunday headed to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad from where he will return to Italy a day later.
Good morning from the Kurdistan Regional capital Erbil where a crowd awaits the arrival of Pope Francis! #PopeInKurdistan #PopeInIraq
— Kurdistan 24 English (@K24English) March 7, 2021
📸Kurdistan 24/Hoshman Sadiq pic.twitter.com/TjSO9Gs9pj
The Pope arrived in Erbil early Sunday, where he met a number of top Kurdistan Region officials before holding a final Mass at Franso Hariri Stadium, attended by close to 10,000 people. Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani led a farewell ceremony for the pope at Erbil International Airport Sunday evening.
Read More: ‘Kurdistan Region is home to displaced Christians,’ Pope tells Kurdish leader in Erbil
In a speech during the gathering, the pope said, “I ask all of you, dear brothers and sisters, to work together, united for a future of peace and prosperity that does not neglect anyone and discriminate against anyone.”
“I pay a special thanks from the bottom of my heart the dear Kurdish residents, and I express my heartfelt thanks to the government and the civil authorities for their effective and indispensable contribution. I thank all those who cooperated, in many ways, to organize this visit,” he added.
“The moment to return to Rome is approaching. But Iraq will always be with me in my heart," he said at the end of his speech.
Meeting Alan Kurdi’s Father
After the Mass concluded, Pope Francis met the father of Alan Kurdi, a 3-year-old Syrian Kurdish refugee whose body washed up on a Turkish shore in 2015, an incident that captured the world’s attention amid a growing humanitarian crisis in war-torn Syria.
The pontiff and Kurdi’s father held “a long conversation,” Vatican News reported. “He was able to listen to the father's pain for the loss of his family and express his and the Lord's deep participation in the man's suffering.”
“Mr. Kurdi expressed his gratitude to the Pope for his words of closeness to his tragedy and to that of all those migrants who seek understanding, peace and security when they leave their countries at the risk of their lives,” the Vatican News report added.
He then gifted the pope a framed drawing representing his son Alan.
‘Sacred Obligation’
Following the events of the day, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani stated in a social media post, “I am honored to welcome His Holiness @Pontifex to Kurdistan. The Holy Father’s message of love and forgiveness, and the mass in Erbil today, reaffirm our sacred obligation to care for the poor and the marginalized, the oppressed and the persecuted.”
“Today, we stand together in defense of religious freedom and diversity - a creed that has been practiced here and beyond for generations, more recently by the Peshmerga heroes who restored the crucifix above churches across the Nineveh Plains,” he added.
Editing by Khrush Najari
More on Pope Francis Visit to Iraq, Kurdistan Region
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