Pope Francis is visiting parts of northern Iraq that were held by Islamic State (IS) militants on the third day of his historic trip to the country.
Militants overran the region in 2014, destroying historic churches and looting. Christians have been returning there since IS was defeated in 2017.
Later on Sunday the Pope will celebrate Mass at a football stadium in Irbil, with up to 10,000 attendees expected.
There are fears the ritual could become a coronavirus super-spreader event.
Iraq has seen a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections over the past month, and along with security fears over the pontiff’s visit, it is one of his riskiest trips yet.
The 84-year-old leader of the Catholic Church and his entourage have all been vaccinated, but Iraq only received its first batch of doses last week.
The four-day trip, which began on Friday, is the pontiff’s first international excursion since the start of the pandemic more than a year ago, and the first ever papal visit to the country.
Some Shia militant groups have reportedly opposed the visit, suggesting the tour amounts to Western interference in the country’s affairs.
On Sunday, the Pope will visit Mosul – a former IS stronghold for three years – where he will say prayers in Church Square for the victims of the war with the Sunni Muslim militant group, which left tens of thousands of civilians dead.
He will then visit Iraq’s largest church, which was partly destroyed by IS, in nearby Qaraqosh, where Christians have returned since the group’s defeat.
BBC reports that about 10,000 Iraqi Security Forces personnel have been deployed to protect the Pope during his visit, while round-the-clock curfews have also been imposed to limit the spread of Covid.
