Speaking to representatives of Iraq’s different religious groups in Ur, Pope Francis called for unity among faiths.
Christians and other religious minorities were subjected to brutal persecution during the country’s occupation by the Islamic State from 2014 to 2017.
Hours earlier in Najaf, Francis met Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a visit that was a powerful signal for coexistence in a country torn by violence. Ur is seen as the birthplace of Abraham, the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
