٠٠:٠٢:٢٨The restoration of the Virgin Mary's decapitated statue is expected to be completed in Erbil before the pope visits the country early next month.
The damage to the statue, including where the head had been decapitated, broken pieces of hands and traces of vandalism, can be seen in the footage recorded on Saturday.
"Our goal is to restore it, but we keep the marks of the crime that happened [to] this statue," restoration architect Malik Kadifa said about leaving the cut mark on the statue.
The statue, beheaded by the so-called Islamic State (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL), was previously erected in the Ankawa suburb of Erbil, home to a major Christian community.
The pope's first ever visit to Iraq is due to take place between March 5-7. Several health experts have expressed fears relating to the visit, including concerns that crowds who gather to see the pope will result in COVID spreading. 4,500 people have already registered to attend his Mass at the Franso Hariri International Stadium in Erbil on March 7, according to Kurdistan authorities.
The pope has been vaccinated, along with his entourage and the dozens of journalists who are due to travel on the papal plane.
Iraq: Restoration of Virgin Mary statue decapitated by IS underway ahead of pope visit
The restoration of the Virgin Mary's decapitated statue is expected to be completed in Erbil before the pope visits the country early next month.
The damage to the statue, including where the head had been decapitated, broken pieces of hands and traces of vandalism, can be seen in the footage recorded on Saturday.
"Our goal is to restore it, but we keep the marks of the crime that happened [to] this statue," restoration architect Malik Kadifa said about leaving the cut mark on the statue.
The statue, beheaded by the so-called Islamic State (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL), was previously erected in the Ankawa suburb of Erbil, home to a major Christian community.
The pope's first ever visit to Iraq is due to take place between March 5-7. Several health experts have expressed fears relating to the visit, including concerns that crowds who gather to see the pope will result in COVID spreading. 4,500 people have already registered to attend his Mass at the Franso Hariri International Stadium in Erbil on March 7, according to Kurdistan authorities.
The pope has been vaccinated, along with his entourage and the dozens of journalists who are due to travel on the papal plane.
The restoration of the Virgin Mary's decapitated statue is expected to be completed in Erbil before the pope visits the country early next month.
The damage to the statue, including where the head had been decapitated, broken pieces of hands and traces of vandalism, can be seen in the footage recorded on Saturday.
"Our goal is to restore it, but we keep the marks of the crime that happened [to] this statue," restoration architect Malik Kadifa said about leaving the cut mark on the statue.
The statue, beheaded by the so-called Islamic State (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL), was previously erected in the Ankawa suburb of Erbil, home to a major Christian community.
The pope's first ever visit to Iraq is due to take place between March 5-7. Several health experts have expressed fears relating to the visit, including concerns that crowds who gather to see the pope will result in COVID spreading. 4,500 people have already registered to attend his Mass at the Franso Hariri International Stadium in Erbil on March 7, according to Kurdistan authorities.
The pope has been vaccinated, along with his entourage and the dozens of journalists who are due to travel on the papal plane.