Stadium nasional bukit jalil

Pope Francis departed Iraq on Monday after a four-day visit to the country that included meetings with Christians and Muslim leaders as he preached a message of coexistence. Iraqi President Barham Salih was among those at the airport in Baghdad for a farewell ceremony Monday. On Sunday, the pope visited Mosul, once a stronghold of the Islamic State militant group, where he prayed for Iraq’s war victims in a city square. Francis also traveled to Qaraqosh, an ancient Christian town that had been overrun by Islamic State forces. The pope met with members of the local community at the Church of the Immaculate Conception. He also celebrated an open-air Mass on Sunday at the Franso Hariri stadium in Irbil.  Because of COVID-19 restrictions, attendance was limited to 10,000 people. On Saturday, the 84-year-old pope met with the reclusive Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani at the 90-year-old Muslim leader’s modest home in Najaf. Sistani is one of the most important figures in Shiite … [Read more...] about Pope Francis Leaves Iraq After 4-Day Visit

CAIRO - Pope Francis celebrated Mass in front of an estimated 10,000 people at a sports stadium in the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Irbil Sunday afternoon, following visits earlier in the day to Mosul and the Christian town of Qaraqosh. It was the final full day of the pope's much anticipated visit to Iraq to offer solidarity with the country's Christians and other religious groups amid ongoing turmoil of rival militias battling the central government and firing on demonstrators in the streets. A choir chanted to a crowd of thousands of Iraqis, gathered to hear Pope Francis deliver mass at a sports stadium in Irbil, despite a minor rainstorm. Kurdish and Iraqi leaders, along with some foreign dignitaries also attended. Francis urged everyone to help those who are suffering and in need. Francis says that we must get our hands dirty, acting responsibly and not standing idly by, watching as our brothers and sisters suffer. He added, "It is clear that the church is alive and that … [Read more...] about Pope Francis Celebrates Mass Before 10,000 in Iraqi Kurdish Capital, Irbil