Mosul’s Church Square decorated with two symbolic crosses to welcome Pope Francis

One is made out of burnt chairs from churches that ISIS destroyed while the other has engravings of Mosul’s landmarks

Omar Qais, an Iraqi sculpture, stands in front of the cross he made that is on the platform where Pope Francis will make a prayer on Sunday, March, 7, 2021, in Mosul. Courtesy Ali Al Baroodi.

Two hand-made crosses are on display in Mosul’s Church Square as the city awaits the visit of Pope Francis on Sunday.

One is made out of burnt chairs from churches that ISIS destroyed and the other has Mosul’s landmarks engraved on it.

“The cross was built from burnt chairs from churches in the Nineveh Plain, we kept the wood in the storage and it took one day to assemble, which was done last Thursday,” said Faisal Jeber, an Iraqi geologist who is trying to restore historical sites damaged by ISIS in the northern city.

The idea came after a discussion with Chaldean Father Thabet Habib Youssef, pastor of the Church of St Adday in the Christian town of Karamles, Mr Jeber told The National.

He is the founder of Gilgamesh centre for antiquities and heritage protection in 2015, which was the first to enter and assess damaged Christian sites in Nineveh.

The second cross was created by Omar Qais, a sculpture from Mosul.

“We present this status as a gift by the name of the people of Mosul depicting peaceful coexistence,” Mr Qais said in a video on Twitter.

“It’s a moment of glory, we are happy to receive the Pope here in Mosul,” he said.

A sculpture of a white dove sits on top of the cross while two hands, representing Mosul’s men and women, hold the Christian symbol.

During ISIS's occupation of the city, Mr Qais was building statues in the basement of his home. Since the defeat of ISIS in 2017, his artwork has filled public squares and art galleries.

Omar Qais, an Iraqi sculpture, stands in front of the cross he made that is on the platform where Pope Francis will pray on Sunday, March, 7, 2021, in Mosul. Courtesy Ali Al Baroodi.

Father Olivier Poquillon, a French Dominican and head of Al Saa'a Church in the heart of Mosul's Old City, told the The National that atmosphere in the square was vibrant and lively as the public awaited the Pope's arrival. 
"On the podium, we have one cross which is dark made from wood and the other one is a bright cross of glory signaling that life is stronger than death," Father Olivier said.

"It has been made by Christian and Muslim groups all together,” he said

Pope Francis is set to hold a prayer for victims of ISIS and war at Al Tahera Church in the northern city’s Church Square, which is surrounded by several places of worship used by Iraq’s different Christian denominations.

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  Pope Francis holds a minute of silence at the destroyed cathedral in Mosul's old city. Reuters

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  Pope Francis rides in a golf cart at the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP

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  Pope Francis, surrounded by religious dignitaries at a square near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP

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  Pope Francis releasing a white dove at a square near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP

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  Pope Francis arrives to pray for war victims at 'Hosh al-Bieaa', Church Square, in Mosul's Old City. Reuters

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  A photojournalist uses his camera from atop a broken wall near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP

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  Pope Francis arrives to pray for war victims at 'Hosh al-Bieaa', Church Square, in Mosul's old city, Iraq. Reuters

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  Iraqi children dressed in costumes wave national flags in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP

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  Girls wave national flags as they gather at Church square ahead of Pope Francis' arrival to visit Mosul. Reuters

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  A member of the Iraqi security forces stands guard as children dressed in costumes wave national flags in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP

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  Iraqi children dressed in costumes are pictured in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP

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  Iraqis in the northern city of Mosul get ready to welcome Pope Francis. AFP

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  Iraqis in the northern city of Mosul get ready to welcome Pope Francis. AFP

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  Iraqis in the northern city of Mosul get ready to welcome Pope Francis. AFP

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  People prepare before Pope Francis arrives to hold a mass at 'Hosh al-Bieaa', Church Square. Reuters

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  Iraqi soldiers keep watch before the prayer by Pope Francis for the victims of the war in Mosul. EPA

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  Iraqis gather in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP

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  Preparations are under way at the ruins of Al Tahera Church in the Iraq's northern city of Mosul, a day before the arrival of the Pope. AFP

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  Pope Francis will say prayers for victims of ISIS and war at Al Tahera Church in Mosul’s Church Square, which is surrounded by several places of worship used by Iraq’s different Christian denominations. AFP

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  An aerial view of seating arrangements are being made at the ruins of Al Tahera Church. AFP

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  Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Chaldean Catholic churches can be found in and around the small square that is locked in by low-rise houses in Mosul’s Old City. AFP

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  Organisers lay seats at the ruins of Al Tahera Church in the Old City of Mosul in northern Iraq. AFP

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  Al Tahera is a symbol of the diversity that has been the story of Mosul for centuries and represents Iraq’s once-flourishing Christian community. AFP

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  Men walk past a poster of Pope Francis hanging above a ruined building in the Old City of Mosul. AFP

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  Christians who fled from Mosul after the ISIS rampage have been hesitant to return because of the post-war situation as well as a lack of trust in the government to provide them with the protection they need. AFP

Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Chaldean Catholic churches can be found in and around the small square that is locked in by low-rise houses in Mosul’s Old City.

Before the US-led war that topped Saddam Hussein in 2003, Mosul was Iraq’s second-largest city, known for its diversity, religious conservatism and nationalism.

For three years, from 2014 to 2017, ISIS overran Mosul, desecrating many of its buildings including its churches and used the buildings to run its administration, including as a jail and a court.