BAGHDAD — Pope Francis ended his historic tour of Iraq on Monday, departing by plane from Baghdad after visiting conflict-torn cities, meeting Muslim and Christian leaders, and preaching peace and coexistence over war.
Pope Francis waved one last time before boarding a plane flying the Vatican and Iraqi flags from its cockpit windows. President Barham Salih accompanied the 84-year-old pontiff down a red carpet to his flight.
During Pope Francis’s trip, the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, he toured four cities, including Mosul, the former Islamic State stronghold where vast areas still lie in ruins, telling Iraqis that “peace is more powerful than war.”
He said Iraq would “…
Keep on reading: Pope Francis ends epic Iraq tour where he preached peace