Pope Francis departs Iraq after wrapping up historic four-day visit

Pope Francis leaves Iraq
(Image credit: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images)

Pope Francis concluded his four-day visit to Iraq on Monday, Iraqi President Barham Salih among those waving as the pope's plane took off from Baghdad en route to Rome. Francis, the first pope to visit Iraq and the first to meet with a grand ayatollah, ended his trip by urging Iraqi Christians brutalized by Islamic State militants to forgive and "not give up."

"You are not alone!" Pope Francis said Sunday in Qaraqosh, a Christian town in Iraq's northern Nineveh plains. "The entire church is close to you, with prayers and concrete charity. And in this region, so many people opened their doors to you in time of need." Before ISIS ravaged the Nineveh plains in 2014, Iraq had about 1.4 million Christians; now, there are about 300,000, Religion News Service reports.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.