Pope closed historic Iraq tour with massive mass in Erbil

ERBIL (special envoy) .- The Pope today closed his historic pilgrimage to Iraq, the riskiest trip of his pontificate, considered crazy by many because of the pandemic in progress and in an explosive context, with a Massive mass in this city, the capital of Kurdistan, which peaked with a command. That the 40 million inhabitants of this country in recent years forgotten – but these days, thanks to him, under the reflectors of the world -, without distinction of religion or ethnicity, put aside their divisions and work together for a better future, with hope.

“Now the time has come to return to Rome. But Iraq will always stay with me, in my heart. I ask you all, dear brothers and sisters, to work together in unity for a future of peace and prosperity that do not discriminate and do not leave anyone behind ”, He told them, after an emotional mass in front of tens of thousands of people at the Franso Hariri stadium. In truth, this place has double the capacity, but due to the pandemic and the sanitary measures of outrun in force, only half could enter.

The Pope, who lived the most intense day of his tour, had the only walkabout of the tour at Mass: he used his famous popmobile, with whom he toured the studio, while being hailed as a rock star. Although earlier, when he visited a church rebuilt after being razed by the Islamic State terrorist group (IS), in Qaraqosh there were also many people in the streets, as in the devastated city of Mosul, a symbol of the destruction of Islamic terrorist extremism. Even these two localities have arrived armored cars, after taking a helicopter.

At the time of farewell, after mass, after thanking the organizers of a complex and exhausting visit –in three days, he traveled more than 1,450 kilometers, He took 5 planes and two helicopters – he assured the Iraqis that he would continue to pray for this “beloved” country.

“I pray, in a special way, that the members of the different religious communities, as well as all men and women of good will, cooperate to strengthen the bonds of fraternity and solidarity in the service of the common good and of peace”, he said. In fact, the call to all to be and to work as brothers was the leit pattern of his tour.

“Greetings, greetings, greetings (peace). Shukrán! [Gracias] God bless you all. God bless Iraq. Allah ma’akum! [Que Dios esté con ustedes]”, he said goodbye, speaking in arabic.

On a tour marked by towering security guards – seeing rocket attacks by insurgent militias in recent days – with an impressive number of special forces, SWAT units armed to the teeth, the Pope stressed that in the very intense days lived in Iraq had heard “Voices of pain and anguish, but also voices of hope and consolation”. In this regard, he mentioned and thanked the enormous work done by various charities to help in the reconstruction of cities like that of Qaraqosh and Mosul, as well as bringing back the hundreds of thousands of people, both the Christian minority and the Muslim majority, who have had to escape IS barbarism for years.

During the homily, which he delivered in Italian but which was simultaneously translated into Arabic, he again spoke of the “War and violence wounds, visible and invisible wounds”, which still mark many Iraqis with fire. And he encouraged the faithful present, who waited for him for hours singing and praying, not to lose hope. follow Jesus’ example.

“Jesus not only cleanses us from our sins, but he makes us participants with his own strength and wisdom. And at the same time, it strengthens us, so that we know how to resist the temptation of revenge, which plunges us into an endless spiral of reprisals, ”he stressed.

“The Lord promises us that with the power of his resurrection, he can revive us and our communities from the ravages of injustice, division and hatred. This is the promise that we celebrate in this Eucharist, ”he explained.

He expressed similar concepts at noon during his visit to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, which in 2014 was vandalized, desecrated and burned down by extremist IS militias in the Christian town of Qaraqosh. After the liberation from ISIS in October 2016, this building was once again a sacred place, thanks to the fact that the Christians there improvised an altar and a wooden cross on its roof. Although its real reconstruction began almost a year ago. Also in the streets of Qaraqosh, a center of about 35,000 inhabitants, newly populated and standing with the help of various organizations and the international community, the Pope was received triumphantly. Behind fences and under the watchful eye of snipers and other special forces, families in traditional and festive costumes greeted him with the cry of “Francesco, Francesco!”

“The time has come to rebuild and start over,” the Pope told the nearly 300 faithful present in the temple, to whom he assured that “they are not alone”. “Now is the time to rebuild not only the buildings, but above all the bonds that unite communities, young and old. Don’t stop dreaming. Don’t give up, don’t lose hope, ”he said.

Finally, in a Muslim country where women are often in retreat, ended with a call on behalf of his accountability and by making a strong denunciation of the abuse suffered several times for them.

“When I arrived with the helicopter, I looked at the statue of the Virgin Mary placed above this Church of the Immaculate Conception and I entrusted to her the rebirth of this city. Our Lady not only protects us from above, but also comes down to us with maternal tenderness, ”he said. “This image of hers has even been damaged and trampled on, but the face of the Mother of God continues to look at us with tenderness. Because that is how mothers do: they console, they comfort, they give life. And I would like to warmly thank all the mothers and women of this country, courageous women who continue to give life, despite the abuse and the wounds ”, he claimed. “May women be respected and defended! May they be taken care of and given opportunities! He concluded with another gesture of great courage on a tour that for the Iraqis was a breath of fresh air.

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