At site of four churches demolished by Islamic State, Francis laments 'barbarous blow' of extremism in the 'cradle of civilization'

Sacred city in cradle of civilization served region's peoples for thousands of years, but has gone largely unexplored; some experts believe its treasures could rival Egypt's Giza

Pontiff attends interfaith meeting in Ur as part of trip to country riven by religious and ethnic divisions, calls for end to conflict in Syria

Visit to discuss Christian minority is one of the highlights of pontiff's four-day trip to Iraq, where Sistani has played a key role in tamping down tensions in recent decades

Pontiff to travel to shrine city of Najaf to meet Muslim authority figure during visit aimed at comforting Iraqi Christians and deepening interfaith relations

Pontiff's trip to one of the world's oldest Christian communities comes despite ongoing conflict, pandemic lockdown; will try to deepen dialogue with Muslim world

In video message, pontiff highlights the heavy toll paid by Iraqi Christian communities, laments there have been 'too many martyrs'

Pentagon says contractor 'suffered a cardiac episode while sheltering'; no one claims responsibility for attack

Pontiff's talks with Ali al-Sistani will implicitly recognize him as Shiite Islam's chief interlocutor over his rival, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

Incident comes amid escalating tensions with jihadists, just 2 days ahead of first-ever visit to the country by the pope