Hear The Words Of Muslims And Christians In Mosul, Pope Francis: Peace Is Stronger

Pope Francis in Mosul, Iraq. (vaticannews.va)

JAKARTA - World Catholic Leader Pope Francis continues his visit to Iraq on Sunday 7 February. One of the locations for today's activities is visiting the City of Mosul.

Using a helicopter, Pope Francis arrives at the city devastated by ISIS. When arriving, the Pope saw ruins of houses and churches in the square which was the center of the old city that flourished before Mosul was occupied by ISIS from 2014 to 2017.

Pope Francis then listened to the hearts of Muslims and Christians in Mosul. To the 84-year-old Pope, residents shared the suffering and cruelty they experienced when the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) occupied the city.

"Together we reject fundamentalism. Not for sectarianism and not for corruption", Archbishop of Mosul of Khaldea, Najeeb Michaeel told the Pope, as reported by Reuters.

Hearing this, the Pope then blessed the oath and enthusiasm of the people to rise up and rebuild Mosul. The Pope, who was touched by the conditions in Mosul, then mended all who died, from any religion, be it Islam, Christianity and Yazidi.

"How cruel it is, the cradle of civilization, to be hit by such a barbaric beating, with ancient places of worship destroyed and thousands of people, Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and others forcibly displaced or killed", he said.

"Today, however, we reaffirm our belief that brotherhood lasts longer than fratricide, that hope is stronger than hatred, that peace is stronger than war", stressed Pope Francis.

From Mosul, the Pope then continued his journey to Qaraqosh, one of the pockets of Iraqi Christians which was also controlled by ISIS, by helicopter.