Pope Francis prays as he leads his general audience in the library of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican March 10, 2021. The pope recalled his recent visit to Iraq and said it was meant to be "a sign of hope" for the people of the country who suffered from war, terrorism and the pandemic. (CNS photo/Vatican Media) 
Despite years of suffering due to war and terrorism, the people of Iraq continue to look to the future with hope, Pope Francis said.
Recalling his recent visit to the country during his weekly general audience March 10, the Pope said that while he saw “the opened wounds of destruction”, he also saw “around me the joy of welcoming Christ’s message”.
“I saw the hope of being open to a horizon of peace and fraternity, summed up in Jesus’ words that were the motto of the visit: ‘You are all brothers,'” he said.
“Never before has a Pope been in the land of Abraham,” he continued.
“Providence willed that this should happen now, as a sign of hope, after years of war and terrorism, and during a severe pandemic.”
Affirming the right of the Iraqi people to live in peace, Pope Francis praised the country’s rich history as the “cradle of civilisation”.
Departing from his prepared remarks, the Pope denounced arms dealers who profit from war and sold weapons to terrorists not only in Iraq, but in other parts of the world suffering from violence.
“Today, who sells weapons to terrorists, who is carrying out massacres in other parts of the world, such as Africa for example? It is a question I would like someone to answer,” the Pope said.
Fraternity
The answer to war, he added, is fraternity, which is a challenge for Iraq and “for many regions in conflict and, ultimately, for the entire world”.
Continuing his talk, the Pope said the interreligious meeting in the ancient city of Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, was a significant moment that brought together the spiritual descendants of “our father in the faith”.
Recalling his visits to Mosul and Qaraqosh, two cities devastated by Islamic State militants, the Pope called for prayers for the people so that God may give them the strength to rebuild.
He also appealed to those who fled those cities and urged them to “keep the faith and hope. Be weavers of friendship and of fraternity wherever you are”.
“And, if you can, return” to Mosul and Qaraqosh, the Pope said.
Pope Francis said that, in Iraq, “despite the roar of destruction and weapons, the palm, a symbol of the country and of its hope, has continued to grow and bear fruit”.
