Francis

In his Urbi et Orbi message delivered on Easter Day 2020, in the midst of a pandemic and with a Resurrection celebrated in churches without believers, Pope Francis said: "Today, the proclamation of the Church resounds throughout the world: "Jesus Christ is risen! - Truly He is risen!," writes Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest Aurel Perca in his Easter Pastoral Letter.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on March 10 reacted to a stamp planned to be issued by the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) on the occasion of the visit of the spiritual leader of the Catholics, Pope Francis, to Iraq.

Pope Francis prayed on March 7 for "victims of war" outside a centuries-old church in Iraq's Mosul, where the ISIL group ravaged one of the world's oldest Christian communities until the jihadists' defeat three years ago.

Pope Francis has called for an end to violence and extremism, on the first ever papal visit to Iraq.

In a speech after being welcomed by Iraqi President Barham Salih, Pope Francis said he was very pleased to come to Iraq, which he described as the "cradle of civilisation".

The pontiff is making his first international trip since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Pope Francis starts a historic trip to war-battered Iraq on March 5, defying security fears and the pandemic to comfort one of the world's oldest and most persecuted Christian communities.

Pope Francis landed in war-battered Iraq on March 5 on a first-ever papal visit, defying security fears and the pandemic to comfort one of the world's oldest and most persecuted Christian communities.

The 84-year-old, who said he was travelling to Iraq as a "pilgrim of peace", will also reach out to Shiite Muslims when he meets Iraq's top cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani.

Pope Francis starts a historic trip to war-battered Iraq on March 5, defying security fears and the pandemic to comfort one of the world's oldest and most persecuted Christian communities.

Cooperation between Turkey and France can contribute greatly to security, stability, and peace efforts in the world, the Turkish president said in a conversation with his French counterpart on March 2, as the two capitals move to ease bilateral tensions.

Christmas festivities began on Dec. 25, with hundreds of millions across the world under coronavirus restrictions celebrating a pared-down version of a holiday typically marked by travel and large gatherings.

A bust of Pope Francis, made by sculptor Darie Dup, will be unveiled next Tuesday on Schitu Magureanu Boulevard in Bucharest.