MOSUL: Wrapping up his historic whirlwind tour of Iraq on Monday with a message of coexistence, forgiveness and peace, standing amid the rubble left by the now defeated Islamic State terrorists in Iraq, Pope Francis on Sunday said that hope is 'more powerful than hatred' and 'peace more powerful than war'.

During his trip to Iraq, which is considered significant as this is the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, (considered the homeland of Abraham) the Pope denounced extremism in the name of religion as 'betrayals of religion' and called for friendship and cooperation between religions.

Leading a prayer at a square amid the ruins of the Syro-Catholic Church in Mosul's Old City, the Pope said, "Here in Mosul, the tragic consequences of war and hostility are all too evident."

Earlier, the head of the Catholic Church met Shia Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf.

While welcoming the Pope, Iraqi President Barham Salih had said, "Holy Father, we are healing our wounds, and here you are, healing our wounds with us."

The Pope visited Ur on his second day of the first-ever papal visit to Iraq condemned the violence that has plagued the country in recent years and called for friendship and cooperation between religions.

"All its ethnic and religious communities have suffered. In particular, I would like to mention the Yazidi community, which has mourned the deaths of many men and witnessed thousands of women, girls and children kidnapped, sold as slaves, subjected to physical violence and forced conversions," he said.