Christians fled Mosul came days after the militant group ISIS claimed responsibility for the death of hundreds of Syrians. According to CNN, dozens of Iraqi of families of Christians fled Mosul as they fear suffering the same fate as the hundreds who died in Syria.

CNN reports that the al Qaeda splinter group issued the ultimatum to Iraqi Christians living in Mosul Friday.  By Saturday noon (5 a.m. ET), Christians were reportedly ordered to convert to Islam, pay a fine or face "death by the sword." These are the reasons why a total of 52 families of Christians fled Mosul Saturday morning.

Apparently, some also weren't allowed to bring anything apart from the clothes on their backs.

A Wadie Salim told CNN, 'They told us, 'You to leave all of your money, gold, jewelry and go out with only the clothes on you.''

After Christians fled Mosul, photos captured by CNN of a number of homes that were abandoned horrifyingly showed the phrase "property of ISIS" painted in black.

According to reports, after the incident of Christians fled Mosul, some of the families went for Irbil, a location currently controlled by Kurdish forces, while others went to the Dohuk province. CNN said majority of the Christians went to Dohuk, which is 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Mosul.

Another Mosul resident named Um Nazik said, 'We did not know how to act. Are we going to get killed?'

Apparently, ISIS was able to take over large portions of land and hence Christians fled Mosul. ISIS took over the lands easily because of the lack of centralized authority in both Iraq and war-torn Syria. The Sunni militants are wreaking havoc in hopes of establishing an Islamic state throughout the entire region that it is currently controlling.

ISIS-appointed governor of Mosul Salman al-Farisi reportedly declared that any family which plans to stay in Mosul without converting to Islam would be required to pay 550,000 Iraqi dinar, which is about $470.

In letters distributed recently to Christians in Mosul, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ISIS's leader, reportedly agreed to allow those who didn't embrace Islam to pay a special jizya tax to leave.

Most Christians fled Mosul Saturday in order to meet the deadline set by the ISIS militants, reports the New York Times. These families reportedly left with little more than the clothes they were wearing.

While some left on foot because of their cars having been confiscated, others rode bicycles or motor scooters. Before the Christians fled Mosul, the militants also seized their money and jewelry, therefore they weren't able to take anything valuable. Meanwhile, others were forced to just convert to Islam to  avoid getting killed by the militants since these few were reportedly not not healthy enough to flee.

Younadim Kanna, a Christian and a member of Iraq's Parliament said of the forced evacuation, 'There are five Christian families who converted to Islam because they were threatened with death. They did so just to stay alive.'

Meanwhile, because Christians fled Mosul due to horrible circumstances, outrage sparked from Iraq and other parts of the world Sunday.

According to the NY Times, Pope Francis expressed his concern for the Christians of Mosul and other parts of the Middle East in a public address. The Pope said in his address after seeing Christians fled Mosul, 'they have lived since the beginning of Christianity, together with their fellow citizens, offering a meaningful contribution to the good of society.'

The Pope continued, 'Today, they are persecuted. Our brothers are persecuted and hunted away; they have to leave their homes without being allowed to take anything with them.'

Meanwhile, United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon reportedly released a statement condemning "in the strongest terms the systematic persecution of minority populations in Iraq," particularly the threat to Christians.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, who is struggling to remain in power as Iraq's political factions negotiate to form a new government, said of the incident after Chirtsians fled Mosul, 'The atrocities perpetrated by ISIS against our Iraqi citizens, the Christians in Nineveh Province and the attacks on the churches and houses of worship in the areas that fall under their control, reveal without any doubt the terrorist and criminal nature of this extremist group that poses a dangerous threat to the humanity and the heritage and legacy that has been preserved over centuries.'

al-Maliki called on the ;whole world to tighten the siege on those terrorists and stand as one force to confront them.'

A gathering was held Sunday at St. George Chaldean Church, which reportedly addressed the incident after Christians fled Mosul. The gathering was as much about Iraqi solidarity as it was a denunciation of the persecution towards Christians.

During the ceremony, Muslims and Christians alike held signs in the pews which read, 'I'm Iraqi. I'm Christian.' Muhammad Aga organized the event over Facebook. When Aga spoke, he listed Iraq's many narrower identities which include Christians, Arabs, Kurds, Shabaks, Turkmen, Yazidis, Sunnis and Shiites. He said, 'All of those people who carry Iraqi identity.'

Louis Raphael Sako, the church's patriarch said, 'I carry every Iraqi in my heart.'

Christians fled Mosul after ISIS forced their brutality once again towards Mosul residents. According to CNN, ISIS is known for its cruelty. In fact, the group is reportedly so violent that al Qaeda even attempted to distance itself from the group, its former affiliate.