Issued by: Change:
On Pope Francis ’visit to Iraq, which began on Friday, FRANCE 24 met with Christians across the country: from Baghdad to Erbil, through Mosul and Qaraqosh. This program looks at the Sunni Muslim city of Mosul, which Francis will visit on Sunday. The strong federal Christian tradition was destroyed in the city during the war against the Islamic State group.
Mosul is the Sunni Muslim capital, but its rich Christian history can still be seen in some of the regional buildings.
During his federal stint with the Islamic State group from 2014 to 2017, he had his churches looted, desecrated and destroyed.
“The crosses have been removed. But … the goblets are still standing. We’re lucky, that’s what we said to ourselves, compared to other churches, we did well, because Daesh [Islamic State] we used this space, which allowed us to do great damage to it, but did not destroy it, “said Father Olivier Poquillon, a French Dominican and leader Al Saa’a Church in the heart of the ancient city of Mosul.
The coat of arms of the Islamic State group remains, a legacy that some work to remove before the arrival of the Pope.
“Some Christians do not intend to return because they are afraid. There is homosexuality here, as there was before 2003,” said Sabah Aziz Ibrahim, defender of the Al Saa’a Church. He one of several dozen Christians living in Mosul today, a far from the 45,000 inhabitants of the city by 2003.
Click on the video player above to view the full FRANCE 24 report.