Why is Pope Francis going to Qaraqosh?

Many Christians were driven out of the city by ISIS and have yet to return to their former home

Iraqi Christians place a cross on a church in Qaraqosh, Iraq. AP Photo

Iraqi Christians attend a mass in a church in Qaraqosh, Iraq, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. Iraq's Christians are hoping that a historic visit by Pope Francis in March will help boost their community's struggle to survive. AP Photo

People fix a street destroyed during clashes against the Islamic State militants in Qaraqosh, Iraq. AP Photo

The burnt and destroyed interior of the St Mary al-Tahira church is seen on November 8, 2016 in Qaraqosh, Iraq. The NPU is a military organization made up of Assyrian Christians and was formed in late 2014 to defend against ISIL. Qaraqosh, a largely Assyrian City just 32km southeast of Mosul was taken by ISIL in August, 2014 forcing all residents to flee, the town was largely destroyed with all of the churches burned or heavily damaged. The town stayed under ISIL control last week when it was liberated during the Mosul Offensive. Getty Images

Two men are seen surveying the burnt and destroyed interior of the St Mary al-Tahira church on November 8, 2016 in Qaraqosh, Iraq. The NPU is a military organization made up of Assyrian Christians and was formed in late 2014 to defend against ISIL. Qaraqosh, a largely Assyrian City just 32km southeast of Mosul was taken by ISIL in August, 2014 forcing all residents to flee, the town was largely destroyed with all of the churches burned or heavily damaged. The town stayed under ISIL control last week when it was liberated during the Mosul Offensive. Getty Images

Iraqi Christians attend a mass during a Christmas Eve celebrations at the al-Tahira al-Kubra church at the Assyrian town of Qaraqosh, some 13 km east of Mosul, northern Iraq, 24 December 2018. Hundreds of Iraqi Christians held their prayers in Mosul under tight security. EPA

Qaraqosh, December 27 2016 Burned and devastated Church of St Mary al-Tahira.The offensive to retake Iraqs second city from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) began in mid-October.Shortly afterwards, Iraqi forces and local militias succeeded in driving Isil out of the historic Christian town of Qaraqosh on Iraqs Nineveh plain, 10 miles east of Mosul, which was captured by the jihadist group in the summer of 2014. Destruction is bad enough, though it is not total. Isis fighters set fire to many ordinary houses in addition to the churches in the days before they left, but possibly because there was no furniture left to burn since it all had been looted most of these houses look as if they could be made habitable after extensive repairs. Getty Images

Bullet casings are seen next to a sheet of Christian writings on the ground of the burnt and destroyed St Mary al-Tahira church on November 8, 2016 in Qaraqosh, Iraq. The NPU is a military organization made up of Assyrian Christians and was formed in late 2014 to defend against ISIL. Qaraqosh, a largely Assyrian City just 32km southeast of Mosul was taken by ISIL in August, 2014 forcing all residents to flee, the town was largely destroyed with all of the churches burned or heavily damaged. The town stayed under ISIL control last week when it was liberated during the Mosul Offensive. Getty Images

Qaraqosh, December 27 2016 Burned and devastated Church of St Mary al-Tahira. Makeshift shooting range of jihadists.The offensive to retake Iraqs second city from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) began in mid-October.Shortly afterwards, Iraqi forces and local militias succeeded in driving Isil out of the historic Christian town of Qaraqosh on Iraqs Nineveh plain, 10 miles east of Mosul, which was captured by the jihadist group in the summer of 2014. Destruction is bad enough, though it is not total. Isis fighters set fire to many ordinary houses in addition to the churches in the days before they left, but possibly because there was no furniture left to burn since it all had been looted most of these houses look as if they could be made habitable after extensive repairs. Getty Images

Damaged prints of Jesus Christ are seen inside the burnt and destroyed interior of the St Mary al-Tahira church on November 8, 2016 in Qaraqosh, Iraq. The NPU is a military organization made up of Assyrian Christians and was formed in late 2014 to defend against ISIL. Qaraqosh, a largely Assyrian City just 32km southeast of Mosul was taken by ISIL in August, 2014 forcing all residents to flee, the town was largely destroyed with all of the churches burned or heavily damaged. The town stayed under ISIL control last week when it was liberated during the Mosul Offensive. Getty Images

June 29, 2018 First communions of more than three hundred Qaraqosh children, celebrated in the open air, as Al Tahira Cathedral has not yet been restored following the fire it suffered during the occupation of the Islamic state. This ceremony represents a sign of hope for Christians. Qaraqosh (Baghdeda), Iraq. Reuters

An aerial picture shows Iraqi priests leading the Christmas eve mass at the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (Al Tahira-l-Kubra), in the predominantly Christian town of Qaraqosh, in Nineveh province, some 30 kilometres from Mosul, on December 24, 2020. AFP

Al Tahira church being cleaned ahead of the Pope's visit. Courtesy Sangar Khaleel

Pope Francis' visit to Qaraqosh, referred to as Iraq’s Christian capital, will encourage members of the country’s oldest faith to return to their homes after being driven out by ISIS.

Qaraqosh, a town also known as Hamdaniya, lies east of Mosul in the Nineveh plain. It fell to the insurgents in 2014, pushing its 50,000 residents to seek refuge in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region and other neighbouring states.

"The visit to Qaraqosh will be a sign of solidarity with all Christians in the Nineveh plain and will encourage people to return to their villages with hope for a better future," Auxiliary Bishop Basel Yaldo of Baghdad, who is the Catholic Church's general co-ordinator for the trip, told The National.

Preparations are well under way for the Pope's visit, including a newly crafted statue of the Virgin Mary placed on top of the Immaculate Conception Church in Qaraqosh.

During his trip, Pope Francis will take a helicopter from Mosul to Qaraqosh, where he will visit the community at the church, which is the biggest in the Nineveh plain and was once the heart of Christian worship in the town before being burned by ISIS and subsequently restored.

Most of the Christians in Nineveh are descendants of the Assyrians whose empire spread across Iraq more than 3,000 years ago. They have always felt a strong link to the land that is today Iraq.

The country once hosted around 4 million Christians but years of wars, conflict and economic hardship have eroded their status.

The Christian population shrank to about 500,000 following the US-led invasion in 2003 that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein and again after the onslaught of ISIS in 2014. It is not known exactly how many Christians now remain in Iraq.

ISIS deliberately targeted Christians in Nineveh, giving them an ultimatum – either they convert to Islam, pay a special tax or risk execution. As a result, thousands of families fled the area.

The insurgents spent two years destroying all signs of Christianity in the town, burning churches, smashing statues, and all other reminders of this once-thriving community.

Hundreds of ancient Assyrian artefacts were also destroyed in the process. "Signs of looting and devastation were evident everywhere when some people began returning," local priest Father Paul Thabit Mekko said.

In 2016, Qaraqosh was liberated by the Iraqi army but residents are still hesitant to return due to ongoing security concerns and lack of livelihood opportunities.

Pope Francis's visit to Iraq - daily agenda