Pope Francis visits churches destroyed by Isis in northern Iraq

Pontiff travels to Mosul, Qaraqosh and Erbil to pray for war victims on last day of historic visit

Flanked by four ruined churches in the wrecked centre of Mosul, Pope Francis on Sunday urged Christians to forgive injustices that drove them into exile and restore a historical heartland on the rubble of Islamic State's barbarous rule.

The pope concluded his two-day trip to Iraq with two highly symbolic stops in areas long integral to the Christian presence in the country: Mosul, where Isis's so-called caliphate was declared nearly seven years ago; and Qaraqosh, an ancient town on the Nineveh plains that bore the brunt of the group's genocidal onslaught.