Pope prays for ISIS victims at ruins of churches in Mosul - in pictures

The pontiff said prayers in Church Square as part of Sunday's historic visit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More on Iraq papal visit:

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

Pope Francis and Al Sistani talk coexistence at historic Iraq meet