People from all faiths pay respect to late Pope Francis in north Iraq
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - People from all walks of life gathered in the district of Hamdaniya in Iraq's northern Nineveh province to honor the memory of the late Pope Francis.
'We as Kurds have visited the Metropolitan of Qaraqosh in Hamdaniya, to offer our condolences for the loss of Pope Francis and to mourn with our Christian brothers,' Akram Mustafa, a Kurdish resident of Hamdaniya told Rudaw.
Pope Francis passed away from a stroke at his residence on Easter Monday, April 21, after weeks of illness. The 88-year-old had recently been discharged from the hospital, where he was receiving treatment for pneumonia.
His last public appearance was on Easter Sunday, just a day before his passing, when he greeted thousands of worshippers in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
A symbolic funeral ceremony in Hamdaniya was organized by the Mosul Archdiocese in the town of Qaraqosh. The event drew participation from diverse communities.
A Christian resident of Hamdaniya told Rudaw, 'We stand together as we mourn the passing of Pope Francis who stood as an emblem of peace, unity and brotherhood throughout the world. This is the least we can do.'
Christians, Muslims, Kakai, Yazidi and members of other religious and ethnic groups all took part in organizing the ceremony to honor the Pope's legacy.
'Traditionally, funerals are not held for Christian religious figures because we believe in resurrection, but we wanted to hold this ceremony in Hamdaniya following the request of our Muslim, Yazidi, and Kakai brothers, who asked us to,' Rony Salem, Deputy of the Mosul Syriac Catholic Archdiocese said.
Archbishop Bashar Warda of the Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil told Rudaw on Sunday, that 'a nine-day mourning period' is underway to mark the pontiff's passing. During this time, the College of Cardinals is expected to convene regularly to deliberate on the Church's current status and its future direction.
Commenting on the upcoming papal election, Archbishop Warda noted, 'Historically, the elected pope is rarely among the widely expected names.' He anticipated that a new pontiff will be chosen within two weeks.
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