Pope Francis completes historic visit to Iraq, meets with Christian and Muslim leaders

During his four-day visit, Pope Francis met with Christian and Muslim leaders in Iraq and gave them a message of peaceful coexistence. Iraqi President Barham Saleh was also present at Monday’s farewell ceremony at the airport. The pope also attended a prayer service near a church destroyed during the war. Speaking at an interfaith event on Saturday, Pope Francis said, “We, the followers of religions, cannot remain silent when terrorism targets religion.”

The Muslim-majority country of Iraq, with a population of 40 million, had about 1.5 million Christians before the 2003 war. However, due to years of conflict and insecurity, the number has dropped to just half million, which is only one percent of the country’s population.