Pope Francis ends historic Iraq visit with Erbil mass, thousands gather

Global News published this video item, entitled “Pope Francis ends historic Iraq visit with Erbil mass, thousands gather” – below is their description.

At least 10,000 people filed into a stadium in Erbil on Sunday for mass with Pope Francis.

This was his final engagement on this historic four-day visit to Iraq.

The stadium has a capacity of 30,000 people but organizers limited attendance to 10,000 as a protective measure to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Waving Iraqi, Kurdish and Vatican City flags to blaring music, crowds welcomed the pontiff at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region.

At the end of the mass, the last official event before he returns to Rome on Monday, Francis told the crowd, “Iraq will always remain with me, in my heart. He closed by saying “salam, salam, salam” (peace, peace, peace) in Arabic.

Iraq’s Christian community, one of the oldest in the world, has been particularly devastated by the country’s years of conflict, falling to about 300,000 from about 1.5 million before the U.S. invasion of 2003 and the brutal Islamist militant violence that followed.

MORE: https://globalnews.ca/news/7682040/pope-francis-is-christians/

For more info, please go to http://www.globalnews.ca

Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc

Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ

Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt

Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB

#GlobalNews #PopeFrancis #PopeIraqTrip

Global News YouTube Channel

Got a comment? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. Please note comments are moderated before publication.


About This Source - Global News

Global News is the news and current affairs division of the Canadian Global Television Network, based in Vancouver, Canada.

Recent from Global News:

Impact inflation, living costs have on birth rates and canadians on parental leave 1

Impact inflation, living costs have on birth rates and Canadians on parental leave

Construction of EV battery plant in Quebec temporarily halted following criticism

Ukrainian armour becomes battle-scarred art exhibit as Russia-Ukraine war rages on

In This Story: COVID-19

Covid-19 is the official WHO name given to the novel coronavirus which broke out in late 2019 and began to spread in the early months of 2020.

Symptoms of coronavirus

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

  • a persistent new cough (non productive, dry)
  • a high temperature (e.g. head feels warm to the touch)
  • shortness of breath (if this is abnormal for the individual, or increased)

Latest News about Covid-19

Below are stories from around the globe related to the 2020 outbreak of novel Coronavirus – since the WHO gave the Covid-19 naming. Most recent items are posted nearest the top.

5 Recent Items: COVID-19

Global National: Jan. 19, 2024 | Health data shows influenza, COVID-19 cases decreasing in Canada

Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500 hit record highs as tech stocks soar | January 19, 2024

Stock market today: Stocks climb with techs ready to roar | January 19, 2023

Dr Anthony Fauci ‘became part of the problem’ when it came to the spread of Covid misinformation

WEF summit: Canada warns of future supply shocks amid global instability

In This Story: Iraq

Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in Western Asia. The capital and largest city is Baghdad. Iraq is home to diverse ethnic groups including Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrians, Yazidis, Shabakis, Armenians, Mandaeans, Circassians, Sabians and Kawliya. Around 99% of the country’s 38 million citizens are Muslims, with small minorities of Christians, Yarsans, Yezidis and Mandeans also present. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish.

Iraq has a coastline measuring 58 km (36 miles) on the northern Persian Gulf and encompasses the Mesopotamian Alluvial Plain, the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range and the eastern part of the Syrian Desert. Two major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, run south through Iraq and into the Shatt al-Arab near the Persian Gulf. These rivers provide Iraq with significant amounts of fertile land. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, historically known as Mesopotamia, is often referred to as the cradle of civilisation.

Iraq is a federal parliamentary republic consisting of 19 governorates, four of which make up the autonomous Kurdistan Region. Disputes over the sovereignty of Kurdistan Region continue.

Iraq is a founding member of the UN as well as of the Arab League, OIC, Non-Aligned Movement and the IMF.

2 Recent Items: Iraq

Royals in The British Armed Forces

U.S. army loots Syrian wheat, exacerbating ongoing food crisis

In This Story: Vatican

Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State, is the Holy See’s independent city state, an enclave within Rome, Italy. The Vatican City State, also known as The Vatican, became independent from Italy with the Lateran Treaty (1929), and it is a distinct territory under “full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction” of the Holy See, itself a sovereign entity of international law, which maintains the city state’s temporal, diplomatic, and spiritual independence. With an area of 49 hectares (121 acres) and a population of about 825, it is the smallest sovereign state in the world by both area and population.

As governed by the Holy See, the Vatican City State is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state (a type of theocracy) ruled by the pope who is the bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various national origins. After the Avignon Papacy (1309–1437), the popes have mainly resided at the Apostolic Palace within what is now Vatican City, although at times residing instead in the Quirinal Palace in Rome or elsewhere.

Within the Vatican City are religious and cultural sites such as St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums. They feature some of the world’s most famous paintings and sculptures. The unique economy of Vatican City is supported financially by donations from the faithful, by the sale of postage stamps and souvenirs, fees for admission to museums, and sales of publications.

2 Recent Items: Vatican

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Official Gameplay Trailer (4K) | Xbox Dev Direct 2024

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Gameplay Reveal Trailer | Xbox Dev Direct 2024

Leave a Comment

We don't require your email address, or your name, for anyone to leave a comment. If you do add an email address, you may be notified if there are replies to your comment - we won't use it for any other purpose. Please make respectful comments, which add value, and avoid personal attacks on others. Links are not allowed in comments - 99% of spam comments, attempt to post links. Please describe where people may find additional information - for example "visit the UN website" or "search Google for..." rather than posting a link. Comments failing to adhere to these guidelines will not be published.