Baghdad: Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani offered his condolences on Monday on the death of Pope Francis.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Al-Mashhadani expressed, “We received with deep sorrow and sadness the news of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis after years of work in the service of humanity.”

He added, “As we offer our sincere condolences to our Christian brothers in Iraq and the world, we remember together his positions in support of Iraq and his continued solidarity with Iraqis inside and outside the country.”

He continued, “The deceased was a great model of humanity and worked to spread the spirit of tolerance and the values of love.”