Shafaq News/ Pope Francis was the chief celebrant and homilist at Mass for some 10,000 Kurds at Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, northern Iraq, on Sunday afternoon. The facility can seat 25,000, but ticketing was not to capacity, and some social distancing measures were in force.

The Mass was in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, for the Third Sunday of Lent. The First Reading was in Chaldean, the Second Reading in Kurdish, the Gospel in Arabic.

In his homily, Pope Francis preached on the divine power and wisdom in contrast with the human folly that believes itself sufficient, especially when it is powerful. "The truth," said Pope Francis, "is that all of us need the power and wisdom of God revealed by Jesus on the Cross."

"Here in Iraq," Pope Francis went on to say, "how many of your brothers and sisters, friends and fellow citizens bear the wounds of war and violence, wounds both visible and invisible! The temptation is to react to these and other painful experiences with human power, human wisdom."

Pope Francis went on to praise the Church in Iraq for the prodigious witness of her members to the Gospel of Christ, "by spreading Christ’s mercy and forgiveness, particularly towards those in greatest need." He noted that, even amid great poverty and difficulty, many of those present "have generously offered concrete help and solidarity to the poor and suffering."

"That is one of the reasons that led me to come as a pilgrim in your midst,” Pope Francis explained, “to thank you and to confirm you in your faith and witness."

"Today, I can see at first hand that the Church in Iraq is alive, that Christ is alive and at work in this, his holy and faithful people."