After historic whirlwind visit, Pope leaves Iraq for Rome
Fox News
The visit aimed to heal a divide in the country between the Islamic majority and Christian minority.
As the pope's plane took off, Iraqi President Barham Salih was at hand on the tarmac, waving goodbye. At every turn of his trip, Francis urged Iraqis to embrace diversity — from Najaf in the south, where he held a historic face-to-face meeting with powerful Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, to Nineveh to the north, where he met with Christian victims of the Islamic State group's terror and heard their testimonies of survival. The pontiff's visit witnessed scenes unimaginable in war-ravaged Iraq just a few years ago.More Related News