Bells toll for Francis in jihadist-scarred Iraq

QARAQOSH, Iraq: Church bells tolled in Mosul and nearby towns on Monday to mark the death of Pope Francis, the first pope to visit Iraq which suffered greatly at the hands of jihadists.

In the historic Al-Tahera church in the nearby town of Qaraqosh, where the Pope prayed in 2021, dozens of worshippers gathered for an Easter mass which also became an occasion to pay tribute to their beloved Francis.

Near the altar stood an empty wooden chair on which the pope had sat when he declared in a mass that he had entrusted the town´s “rebirth” to the Virgin Mary.

His death “is a significant setback for Christians, especially in the Middle East”, said Kadun Yuhana as he mourned a pope who had kept “a watchful eye on the region, much like a father to his children”.

Yuhana, in his sixties, recalled with “profound love” the pope´s historic visit to Qaraqosh, where the jihadists had ransacked and burned churches and smashed crosses. “We were very happy that he visited his children in this small village, whose population has dwindled due to the emigration of thousands because of the injustice.”