In pictures: Pope Francis visits Iraq
Pope Francis, surrounded by the remains of destroyed churches, attends a prayer in Mosul, Iraq, on Sunday, March 7. Francis called for "harmonious coexistence" of people from different backgrounds and cultures. "Here in Mosul, the tragic consequences of war and hostility are all too evident," he said.
Andrew Medichini/AP

In pictures: Pope Francis visits Iraq

Updated 1724 GMT (0124 HKT) March 8, 2021

Pope Francis, surrounded by the remains of destroyed churches, attends a prayer in Mosul, Iraq, on Sunday, March 7. Francis called for "harmonious coexistence" of people from different backgrounds and cultures. "Here in Mosul, the tragic consequences of war and hostility are all too evident," he said.
Andrew Medichini/AP

Pope Francis landed in Iraq on Friday for a historic tour of the war-ravaged nation, where he met with members of the country's dwindling Christian community and aimed to draw attention to their plight.

It was the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, and it was Pope Francis' first trip outside Italy since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. He and his entourage have all been vaccinated.

"This is a symbolic trip. It's a duty," the Pope told journalists traveling with him on the papal plane. "It has been a martyred land for too long."

The Pope speaks to journalists during his return flight to the Vatican on Monday.
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Iraqi President Barham Salih and his wife, Sarbagh, escort the Pope to his plane during his departure ceremony at Baghdad International Airport.
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People attend the Pope's prayer in Mosul on Sunday. ISIS controlled the city between 2014 and 2017.
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Children in Mosul wave national flags Sunday near the ruins of al-Tahira-l-Kubra, the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception.
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Children meet with Pope Francis at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, Iraq, on Sunday.
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Francis arrives to officiate Mass with other priests in Baghdad, Iraq, on Saturday.
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The Pope meets with Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in Najaf, Iraq, on Saturday. The 45-minute meeting with the 90-year old al-Sistani -- who rarely appears in public -- represented one of the most significant summits in recent years between a pope and a leading Shia Muslim figure.
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Women wait outside the Chaldean Cathedral of St. Joseph in Baghdad.
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The Pope is welcomed at Baghdad International Airport by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Friday.
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The Pope leaves a Baghdad church, Our Lady of Salvation, on Friday. The church was the site of a massacre in 2010.
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Francis delivers his speech at Our Lady of Salvation. "We are gathered in this Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation, hallowed by the blood of our brothers and sisters who here paid the ultimate price of their fidelity to the Lord and his Church," the pontiff said.
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Nuns welcome Pope Francis at Our Lady of Salvation.
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People play cards at a tea house in Erbil, Iraq, as a television shows live footage of the Pope's visit on Friday.
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The Pope speaks at the Presidential Palace in Baghdad on Friday.
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Iraqi President Barham Salih welcomes the Pope to the Presidential Palace.
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People in Baghdad stand by a road as they wait for Pope Francis to pass on Friday.
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People wear face masks with pictures of Pope Francis on Friday.
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A man sews the flag of Vatican City at a printing house in Erbil on Thursday.
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Posters in Baghdad are set up for Pope Francis on Thursday.
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