Lidia Maksymowicz says she and pontiff 'understood each other with a glance' as Francis silently embraced the 80-year-old Polish citizen

Pope Francis offers prayers for 'little Eitan,' sole survivor of disaster that killed his parents, brother and grandparents; boy remains sedated with multiple injuries

Francis expresses 'sadness' and 'closeness to the people of Israel' in wake of country's deadliest civilian disaster

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At site of four churches demolished by Islamic State, Francis laments 'barbarous blow' of extremism in the 'cradle of civilization'

Pontiff wished president and people of Israel 'harmony and peace' in recording from Alitalia flight to Israeli air traffic control

Sacred city in cradle of civilization served region's peoples for thousands of years, but has gone largely unexplored; some experts believe its treasures could rival Egypt's Giza

Pontiff attends interfaith meeting in Ur as part of trip to country riven by religious and ethnic divisions, calls for end to conflict in Syria

Visit to discuss Christian minority is one of the highlights of pontiff's four-day trip to Iraq, where Sistani has played a key role in tamping down tensions in recent decades

Pontiff to travel to shrine city of Najaf to meet Muslim authority figure during visit aimed at comforting Iraqi Christians and deepening interfaith relations