Pope Francis visits Iraq

By Tania Valdés

People attending a prayer by Pope Francis in Mosul on Sunday [Abdullah Rashid: Reuters]

The Pope’s visit to Iraq last Friday March 5th has been historic to say the least. It was the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, and it was Pope Francis’ first trip outside Italy since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. He and his entourage have all been vaccinated. 

Iraqis have been practicing Christianity since the 1st Century CE, making Christianity one of the country's oldest religious communities. In modern times, Iraq has been wracked by religious and sectarian violence, both against Christian minorities and between Shia and Sunni Muslims too.

The Pope visited parts of northern Iraq once held by Islamic State (IS) militants and celebrated Mass at a stadium in Irbil. Thousands of people attended the service despite Covid-19 concerns. Since his arrival to Baghdad, the Pope called for an end to violence and extremism and added that Iraq’s Christian community should have their rights, freedoms, and responsibilities guaranteed.

On Saturday, March 6th, a symbolic meeting with the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf took place. The Shia spiritual leader received the Pope for a rare audience of around 50 minutes. The Pope then visited the site of the ancient city of Ur, believed to be the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, who is revered in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Overall, during this historic visit, Francis called for "harmonious coexistence" of people from different background and cultures. Pope Francis leaved Iraq after touring four cities in his visit to the Middle Eastern country.

Sources:

• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56309779

• https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/05/world/gallery/pope-francis-iraq/index.html

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/03/08/pope-francis-iraq-visit-symbolic-power/

• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/8/pope-ends-iraq-visit-after-mass-in-isil-ruined-city-of-mosul