Pope Francis asserted that women in Iraq are …

The dad Francisco asked this sunday that “women are respected and defended” in Iraq, during the visit una iglesia del Qaraqosh, in the north of the country, attacked by the Islamic State in 2014. The Sovereign Pontiff arrived this Friday for a three-day tour, becoming the first head of the Catholic Church to visit Iraq.

Arriving by helicopter to the city from Mosul, Francisco saw from the sky the image of the Virgin located on the church in which he spoke this Sunday, placed in mid-January by the local Catholic community as a ” symbol of the rebirth of Qaraqosh ”explained the priest Georges Jahola to Télam.

Supporters of the Islamic State They had destroyed the steeple of the church – the largest in the Nineveh Plain – and used the inner courtyard as a polygon for tiro, recalled the Syriac Catholic priest Roni Momeka. The bell tower, already rebuilt, makes the church visible from various points of the city and, together with the Virgin, seeks to mark the start of a new stage for the Christian community that this Sunday he received Francisco.

During his speech, the pontiff recalled the image of the Virgin and took the opportunity to express his concern about the situation of women in the country, many of whom are victims of violence from extremist groups.

“And I want to warmly thank all the mothers and women in this country, courageous women who continue to give life, despite abuse and injury. May women be respected and defended! May they receive care and opportunities!“he claimed.

Previously, the pontiff had given mass at St. Joseph’s Church in Baghdad, attended by the Iraqi President, Barham Salih, of the Muslim faith.