Iraqi Christians place a cross on 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.
Iraqโs Christian communities in the area were dealt a severe blow when they were scattered by the IS onslaught in 2014, further shrinking the country's already dwindling Christian population.
Many hope their struggle to endure will get a boost from a historic visit by Pope Francis planned in March.
The Chaldean Catholic Patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, estimated that 1 million Christians have left Iraq since 2003 and about 500,000 remained.