I come among you as a pilgrim, a penitent pilgrim of peace, in search of fraternity, animated by the desire to pray together and to walk together, with brothers & sisters of other religious traditions, under the sign of our Father Abraham, who unites Muslims, Jews and Christians in one family. I come to your blessed & wounded land as a pilgrim of hope. From you, in Nineveh, resounded the prophecy of Jonah, who prevented destruction and brought a new hope, the hope of God, which encourages us to rebuild & begin again, to build together a future of peace. Brothers & sisters of every religious tradition, it is up to us to continue the journey that Abraham began thousands of years ago: to walk together, in the same spirit, along the paths of peace, especially in these difficult times of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. I ask you to pray together with me to our God. Pope Francis to the People of Iraq, March 4, 2021
