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Pope Francis releases a dove during a ceremony in Mosul, Iraq, in March 2021. Maurix/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images hide caption
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Maurix/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
In Iraq, Pope Francis was recalled as a courageous leader who worked to deepen inter-faith understanding.
"Today we mourn the loss of a remarkable religious and humanitarian leader whose life was devoted to promoting peace, alleviating poverty, and fostering interfaith tolerance," Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid wrote on X. "His humanitarian stance against war and violence, and his continuous calls for peace and coexistence, will leave an indelible impact on the world."
Pope Francis travelled to Iraq in 2021, meeting a revered Shiite Muslim spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and visiting Mosul, where the militant group ISIS declared a caliphate before being driven out in 2017. The visit was the first by a pope to Iraq.
He later wrote that Iraqi security forces had thwarted two assassination attempts against him during the visit.
More than half of Iraq's Christian population left the country after security deteriorated following the 2003 U.S. invasion, with more leaving after the violent ISIS takeover in 2014 of Christian areas in the north of the country.
During his visit to Iraq, Pope Francis encouraged those remaining to rebuild their shattered communities.
