"My next trip will be to Lebanon", the head of the Catholic Church confirmed, not specifying the date.
The first papal visit to Iraq started on Friday with a focus on preaching religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence. It ended with a Sunday mass in Erbil's Franso Hariri Stadium in front of an estimated 10,000 people.
Before returning to the Vatican on Monday, Pope Francis stopped for a moment in Rome's Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore to pray before the image of Maria Salus Populi Romani.