Pope Francis has spoken by telephone to Iraqis living in a displaced people's camp near the main Kurdish city of Erbil, assuring them they were in his Christmas thoughts.
The refugees were among those driven from their homes around Mosul last northern summer in an offensive by Isis (Islamic State), and yesterday the Pontiff used a satellite phone connection provided by Catholic channel TV 2000 to offer them his support.
"Dear brothers, I am close to you, very close to you in my heart," the Pope was quoted as telling the refugees by Italian press agency AGI. Many Christians have fled fighting to seek refuge in Erbil.
The Pope denounced Isis as a "terrorist organisation of a size that was unimaginable before, committing all types of abuses ... [and] striking some among you who have been brutally chased from your lands, where Christians have been present since apostolic times".
He celebrated Christmas Mass in the Vatican calling for "tenderness" and "warmth" after a violence-plagued year.
