Exultant crowds gather for pope's Erbil Mass, despite coronavirus

Pope Francis arrives to lead a mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq March 7, 2021. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari

ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Coronavirus was the last thing on schoolteacher Gladys Koffa's mind as she waited eagerly for Pope Francis to say Mass at Franso Hariri stadium in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, on Sunday.

"We’re not thinking about corona at a time like this it's special, we have God on our sides because the pope is here!" the 33-year-old said, surrounded by her teenage students.