Pope Francis received the delegation of the main leaders of the Church in Iraq. During the meeting the Pope praised the history, the conduct, and the example of Christians in this region.
Newsroom (01/03/2022 10:00, Gaudium Press) Pope Francis received on Monday morning, February 28, a delegation with the main leaders of the church in Iraq.
With his words of praise for the Christians of Iraq, the Pope recalled that Christians in this region have been living the Catholic faith since apostolic times.
Living side by side with other faiths the Pope stressed that the Iraqi faithful are artisans of peace and that they work through dialogue.
Francis stressed that dialogue is “the best antidote against extremism” and that the context of material and cultural poverty, precariousness, and war feed fundamentalism, so it is necessary to eradicate extremist attitudes.
The Pontiff took the opportunity to recall Iraq’s history, rich in events and “land of beginnings: beginning of Middle Eastern civilizations, beginning of the history of Salvation, beginning of the history of Abraham’s vocation.”
Finally, the Pope said that he has deep gratitude for the Christians of Iraq and asked that at this time when some threaten peace, they should not look away from “Jesus, Prince of Peace.”
With information from Vatican News.
