Pope Francis during the Mass in Erbil
By Christopher Wells
Mar 8 2021
At the conclusion of his Apostolic Journey to Iraq, Pope Francis celebrates Sunday Mass with the Iraqi faithful in Erbil’s Franso Hariri Stadium.
“Today, I can see at first hand that the Church in Iraq is alive, and that Christ is alive and at work in this, His holy and faithful people,” Pope Francis said in his Homily during the concluding Mass for his Apostolic Journey to Iraq.
The Holy Father based his homily on a passage from St Paul: “Christ, the power and wisdom of God.” Jesus, he said, “revealed that power and wisdom above all by offering forgiveness and showing mercy.”
At the conclusion of his Apostolic Journey to Iraq, Pope Francis celebrates Sunday Mass with the Iraqi faithful in Erbil’s Franso Hariri Stadium.
“Today, I can see at first hand that the Church in Iraq is alive, and that Christ is alive and at work in this, His holy and faithful people,” Pope Francis said in his Homily during the concluding Mass for his Apostolic Journey to Iraq.
The Holy Father based his homily on a passage from St Paul: “Christ, the power and wisdom of God.” Jesus, he said, “revealed that power and wisdom above all by offering forgiveness and showing mercy.”
Pope Francis greets the faithful
This, the Pope said, “is one of the reasons that led me to come as a pilgrim in your midst, to thank you and to confirm you in your faith and witness.”
Pope blesses statue of Mary
Due to coronavirus health and safety measures, about 10,000 people were present in Erbil’s Franso Hariri Stadium for Sunday’s Eucharistic Liturgy, with tens of thousands more following along thanks to the various means of social communication, including radio, television, and the internet.
At the conclusion of the Eucharistic liturgy, Pope Francis blessed a statue of the Virgin Mary that had been vandalized by Islamic State militants. The head and hands of the statue had been cut off, but the head was later recovered and reattached.
Father Samir Sheer, director of Radio Mariam in Erbil, explained that the statue originally came from the Christian village of Karamles. “After the blessing,” he said, “the statue will return to the Nineveh Plain. The hope of local Christians is that Our Lady will soon return to embrace her children in Karamles.” – Vatican News