Pope Francis to Iraq’s Christians: “You are the heart of the Church and we’re proud of you”

In a bid to encourage the Christians under siege by ISIS in Iraq and the Levant, the Vatican’s Pope Francis I said that the Christians of Iraq are the heart of the Church, which is proud of them. During his weekly homily, on Wednesday, Pope Francis likened the Catholic Church to a mother, saying “The Church, like any mother, will protect its unarmed persecuted children.” The Pope confirmed in his message to Iraq’s Christians that “The Church is suffering with you and is proud of you.” The Pope had previously endorsed the “project of using force to stop extremist fanatics from their deeds”. However, he emphasized the need for the international community to decide how this must be done.