After his stopover in Mosul in northern Iraq, Pope Francis traveled by helicopter to the martyred Christian city of Quaraqosh, which gave him a triumphant welcome and where he launched a vigorous appeal to the Christian community to "rebuild »While advancing on the path of« forgiveness ».
In the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, completely restored after having been partly destroyed and burned by Daesh, Francis began by listening to two testimonies from survivors, that of a priest and that of a Doha Sabah Abdallah woman.
In 2014, this mother lost her young son, her little cousin and a young neighbor who were playing in the courtyard of the house, under a first mortar hit from Daesh falling on Qaraqosh, while the family was gathered to prepare a wedding.
“The martyrdom of her three angels, she observed, saved the whole city” because it gave the signal for the attack.
At the end of this testimony, the Pope rose at once to bow and pay homage to this very worthy woman who, despite her tragedy, called for "forgiveness".
To read also: The poignant prayer of the Pope in Mosul: "we are not allowed to wage war in the name of God"
Tribute to the courage of women
At the end of his speech, François also paid this tribute to women and their courage: “I would like to say heartily thank you to all the mothers and women of this country, courageous women who continue to give life despite abuses and injuries.
May women be respected and protected!
May they be given attention and opportunities!
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Francis, beaming with joy when welcoming the crowd into the Church, changed his face as he began his intervention to make this observation of "sadness": "all around we see signs of the destructive power of violence, of hatred. and war.
How many things have been destroyed!
And how many need to be rebuilt.
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As a challenge, he immediately launched from this wounded cathedral: “Terrorism and death never have the last word.
The last word belongs to God and to his Son, conqueror of sin and death.
Even in the midst of the devastation of terrorism and war, we can see, with the eyes of faith, the triumph of life over death.
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Read also: The disappearance of Christians in the Middle East would be an "incalculable damage", warns the Pope in Mosul
"It's time to rebuild, you are not alone"
It is therefore with these eyes of faith that the Pope immediately encouraged the Christian community to rebuild by urging the Christian inhabitants, of whom only half have returned, to rely on the example of their ancestors: “You have before you the example of your fathers and mothers in the faith who worshiped and praised God in this place.
They persevered in a firm hope on their earthly path, trusting in God who never disappoints and who always supports us with his grace.
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It is therefore important to "persevere" so as not to lose "the great spiritual heritage" left by the Christians of this region: "This heritage is your strength!
Embrace this heritage!
The time has come to rebuild and start over, trusting in the grace of God who guides the destiny of all people and all peoples.
You are not alone!
The whole Church is close to you, through prayer and concrete charity.
Punctuating: "Remember who you are and where you come from!"
Protect the ties that hold you together, protect your roots!
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Certainly, conceded the rested and very offensive Pope Francis: “there are surely times when faith can waver, when it seems that God neither sees nor acts.
This was true for you in the darkest days of war, and it is also true in these days of global health crisis and great insecurity.
At this time, remember that Jesus is by your side.
Don't stop dreaming!
Do not surrender, do not lose hope!
"
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"Pardon: it's a key word"
Then the "pilgrim of peace" as he calls himself during this trip, repeated a sentence from one of the witnesses who spoke to him: "Madame Doha said something that upset me: she said that forgiveness is needed on the part of those who survived the terrorist attacks.
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Immediate lesson from the Pope: “Pardon: this is a key word.
Forgiveness is necessary to remain in love, to remain a Christian.
The road to full recovery may still be long, but I ask you, please, not to be discouraged.
The ability to forgive is necessary and, at the same time, the courage to fight.
I know this is very difficult.
But we believe that God can bring peace to this earth.
We trust him and, with all people of good will, we say “no” to terrorism and the instrumentalization of religion.
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Hence this strong call for reconciliation launched in front of the still traumatized inhabitants: "Let us not tire of praying for the conversion of hearts and for the triumph of a culture of life, reconciliation and fraternal love, with respect for differences, for various religious traditions.
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After this step, Pope Francis was to go for an open-air mass on Sunday afternoon in Erbil, which in 2014 was the city of refuge for many Christian refugees, inhabitants of Mosul and Qaraqosh, and where many still live. Expected at Badgad in the evening, he will return to Rome on Monday morning.