Church bells toll in Mosul as Iraq mourns Pope Francis

Pope Francis remembered in Mosul and Qaraqosh for historic visit and support for Iraq’s Christian community.

The throne used by Pope Francis during his visit to Iraq in March 2021 is seen at the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (Al-Tahira-l-Kubra) in the Christian town of Qaraqosh (Baghdeda), Nineveh province, on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025. Photo by Zaid Al-Obeidi/AFP

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

Church bells tolled in Mosul on Monday as Iraq’s Christian communities mourned the death of Pope Francis, the first pontiff to ever visit the war-torn country. In a solemn tribute that echoed through the Nineveh plains, communities in Mosul and nearby Qaraqosh remembered the late pope not only as a religious leader but as a symbol of peace and hope for a people devastated by conflict and persecution.

Francis’s death marks the end of a papacy that reached into some of the world’s most troubled regions, with Iraq holding a particularly special place in his heart. His historic 2021 visit to Iraq brought comfort to thousands of Iraqi Christians who had endured years of displacement and trauma under the brutal rule of the so-called Islamic State group.

In the Christian town of Qaraqosh, where jihadists once razed churches and desecrated sacred sites, worshippers gathered at Al-Tahera church for an Easter mass that turned into a heartfelt memorial for Pope Francis. The late pontiff had visited the same church in 2021, offering prayers and urging reconciliation. On Monday, his presence was symbolized by an empty wooden chair near the altar — the same one he had sat on when he declared the town’s rebirth was entrusted to the Virgin Mary.

A father figure for Iraq’s Christians

Kadun Yuhana, a lifelong resident of Qaraqosh in his sixties, spoke with deep emotion about the pope’s impact. "His death is a significant setback for Christians, especially in the Middle East," Yuhana said. "He kept a watchful eye on the region, much like a father to his children."

Yuhana recalled the devastation of 2014, when the Islamic State seized the Nineveh plains in a violent campaign that led nearly all 55,000 Christian residents of Qaraqosh to flee. Churches were burned, crosses shattered, and communities driven into exile. In such darkness, Pope Francis’s visit was a rare light.

"We were very happy that he visited his children in this small village, whose population has dwindled due to the emigration of thousands because of the injustice," Yuhana added.

Pope Francis’s journey to Iraq was more than symbolic. It was a demonstration of solidarity and courage, sending a message to the world that Christians in Iraq were not forgotten. He emphasized peace, coexistence, and the right of every faith group to live freely in their homeland.

Unity and fraternity in the face of loss

For Boutros Mazen, a medical assistant in the region, the pope’s legacy lives on in the unity he inspired. "He left something good to the Iraqi people: their cohesion and unity," Mazen said. "The fraternity and love he fostered still remain."

That message of fraternity reached beyond Iraq’s Christian communities. In a landmark moment of interfaith dialogue, Pope Francis met with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Shiite Islam’s highest authority in Iraq. Their meeting was seen as a milestone in modern religious history, a call for peace between Muslims and Christians in a region too often torn by sectarian strife.

During his visit to Mosul — a city once held by jihadists — Francis prayed among the ruins of churches destroyed during the Islamic State’s occupation. He offered prayers for all victims of war and pleaded with Christians not to abandon their ancestral homelands.

Echoes of hope in Mosul and beyond

In Mosul, the tolling bells on Monday carried more than mourning — they echoed the hope that Pope Francis had brought with him. Sanaa Abdul Karim, who had fled Mosul during Islamic State’s reign and now lives in Dohuk, called his passing "a tragedy."

"It is an extraordinary loss," she said. "We are deeply moved by it, particularly because he supported the return of Christians to Iraq. His humility was unmatched when he visited our city."

Karim remembered the pope’s gentle demeanor and his insistence that all communities — Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, and others — must coexist in dignity. His compassion touched not only those in Iraq, but people across the Middle East.

At the time of his visit, Iraq’s Christian population had already suffered steep decline. From an estimated 1.5 million before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, numbers had dwindled to fewer than 400,000 by 2021. Many had fled the country permanently, while others lived as displaced persons within Iraq’s borders.

Francis’s encouragement was a call to remain, to rebuild, and to believe again in a future for Christians in their native land.

A lasting legacy in Iraq’s spiritual memory

As communities across Iraq continue to reflect on the pope’s life and death, his legacy is already being felt in spiritual and cultural ways. Churches that once lay in ruin are slowly being restored. Faithful who once despaired are returning. And the memory of Pope Francis’s visit — his words, his prayers, his symbolic gestures — lives on.

His empty chair in Al-Tahera church is now a symbol of presence, not absence. It represents a moment when the global church stood shoulder to shoulder with a persecuted people. It represents the power of compassion in the face of hatred.

For the people of Mosul and Qaraqosh, Pope Francis was more than a leader of the Catholic Church. He was a pilgrim of peace who walked into the ruins of war and left behind the seeds of healing.

As bells continue to toll in remembrance, Iraq mourns not only a pope, but a friend, a father, and a peacemaker whose voice will echo for generations.

Church bells toll in Mosul as Iraq mourns Pope Francis — and in doing so, they reaffirm the enduring impact of a man who reached across faiths and borders to bring light to the darkest of places.