Through the shattered streets of Mosul, Pope Francis’s message of forgiveness and coexistence rang out on Sunday as the pontiff toured northern Iraq on the final full day of his visit.
Meeting Christians who were returning to rebuild their lives three years after the fall of ISIS, Pope Francis urged all communities to come together to preserve the living soul of Iraq.
He declared hope to be "more powerful than hatred, peace more powerful than war".
“Such a richly diverse cultural and religious fabric – as this is – is weakened by the loss of any of its members, no matter how small. As with one of your intricately designed carpets, if one small thread is removed it damages the entire carpet,” he said at a prayer service for the victims of the war.
“How cruel it is that this country, the cradle of civilisation, should have been afflicted by so barbarous a blow, with ancient places of worship destroyed and many thousands of people – Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, who were cruelly annihilated by terrorism, and others forcibly displaced or killed,” Francis said.
The Pope's visit to the Church Square in Mosul, surrounded by damaged and ruined religious buildings, shone a spotlight on the work being done to rebuild the town, UAE Minister of Culture and Youth Noura Al Kaabi and Unesco Director General Audrey Azoulay said of the visit.
The UAE is funding the Unesco reconstruction of religious buildings in the area that were destroyed by ISIS.
After Mosul, the Pope took a short helicopter flight to Qaraqosh – once the capital of Christian Iraq until it was almost wiped out by ISIS.
“The road to a full recovery may still be long, but I ask you, please, not to grow discouraged,” he said from an ancient church burnet by ISIS extremists as they overran the town in 2014.
"What is needed is the ability to forgive, but also the courage not to give up."
The gathering was a reminder of how much was nearly lost in Iraq with the ISIS invasion and also how far it has come in the few short years since – even if the road to reconstruction is long.
Thousands gathered along the main streets to welcome the pontiff, calling out and singing as he passed. Pope Francis stopped to bless children and the atmosphere was lively and happy.
"Since the war, I did not see the people of this town feeling so much joy," said local priest Father Roni Momika, adding that several thousand attended Mass in Qaraqosh today, hoping to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis.
The 84-year-old pontiff set foot in areas where most western diplomats and foreign delegations refuse to include on their itineraries – they say it is too dangerous.
"Our people expected a visit from the Pope to Iraq, but we didn't expect that he would visit Al Hamdaniya," Issam Bahnam, the mayor of the town told The National, using Qaraqosh's alternative name.
“In protocol, the Pope visits the capital of countries he arrives to, but a small city like Baghdeda or Qaraqosh is something unheard of. This visit will erase the pain our people went through.”
After the visit, the Pope headed back to Erbil to celebrate Mass for more than 10,000 Christians at the Franso Hariri Stadium.
He circled the stadium in the Popemobile – a customised white G-Wagon – before the service that included a homily calling, yet again, to look ahead together to better times.
“Here in Iraq, how many of your brothers and sisters, friends and fellow citizens bear the wounds of war and violence, wounds both visible and invisible?” he asked. “The temptation is to react to these and other painful experiences with human power and human wisdom. Instead, Jesus shows us the way of God – the path he took, the path on which he calls on us to follow.”
The Pope gave more insight into why he was so keen to visit Iraq.
“Even in the midst of great poverty and difficulty, many of you have generously offered concrete help and solidarity to the poor and suffering – that is one of the reasons I was compelled to come as a pilgrim, to thank you.
"It is clear that the Church is alive, that Christ is here in his holy people. I commend you, your families, your communities to the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary, who was united with her son in his passion and death.”
In concluding the Mass, the Pope vowed to keep Iraq in his heart even when he returns to the Vatican on Monday.
"In my time among you, I have heard voices of sorrow and loss, but also voices of hope and consolation," he said.
"Now the time draws near for my return to Rome. Yet Iraq will always remain with me, in my heart."
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Tesalam Aleik
Abdullah Al Ruwaished
(Rotana)
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Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Wednesday's results
Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroes Islands 1-0 Malta
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Gibraltar 2-3 Georgia
Romania 1-1 Norway
Greece 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Israel 3-1 Latvia
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE
Price, base / as tested: Dh263,235 / Dh420,000
Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6
Power 375hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque: 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4L / 100kms
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
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Five stars
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
Zayed Sustainability Prize
List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
