Pope Francis arrives in Erbil in the Kurdistan Region on Sunday morning, greeted by Kurdish officials, representatives of different religious denominations, and the Christian community.

A choir welcomed the pope to the airport as he stepped out of his plane. President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, and a number of high-ranking church officials greeted the Pope who has been in Iraqi since Friday on an official visit.

Pope Francis will stay in Erbil for a short time on Sunday morning to meet with Kurdish officials and then he will travel to Mosul by helicopter to say a prayer in the war-ravaged city.