People gather at Church square ahead of Pope Francis' arrival to visit Mosul, Iraq, March 7, 2021. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Pope Francis heard Muslim and Christian residents in the ruined Iraqi city of Mosul tell of their lives under brutal Islamic State rule on Sunday, blessing their vow to rise up from ashes and promising them "fraternity is more durable than fratricide."
Francis, on a historic first visit by a pope to Iraq, visited the northern city to encourage the healing of sectarian wounds and to pray for the dead of any religion.
