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Baghdad (AFP)
Pope Francis arrives in Iraq on Friday for the first papal visit to this country, with the aim of encouraging Christians who have their roots in this country in history to stand firm despite their declining numbers, and to strengthen their communication with the Muslims.
Among the highlights of the Pope’s visit is a meeting with the Supreme Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in Najaf.
The unprecedented visit comes at a critical time for Iraq, which is witnessing renewed violence with rocket fire and anti-government protests, amid a second wave of coronavirus infections. With his visit, the Pope realizes a dream that had always entertained former Pope John Paul II.
Official sources revealed to Agence France-Presse on Sunday that the Vatican’s ambassador in Baghdad, Msgr. Metia Lescovar, had contracted the Corona virus without “affecting” Pope Francis’ visit on Friday.
Years of violence and persecution have led to a decline in the number of Christians in Iraq, who are among the oldest Christian groups in the world, from 1.5 million in 2003 to just 400,000 today.
On his first visit abroad since the outbreak of the pandemic, the 84-year-old Pope Francis intends to send a message of solidarity not only to Christians, but to the 40 million people of Iraq, with a full program. of stations across the country.
From the main streets of Baghdad to the Shiite city of Najaf, banners with his images have already been raised, accompanied by expressions of welcome upon arrival.
From the southern city of Ur to the devastated Christian cities to the north, roads are being paved and churches being rehabilitated in remote areas that have never seen such an important visitor before.
“The message of the Pope is that the Church is on the side of those who suffer,” Najib Mikhail, archbishop of the diocese of Mosul and Akre, told Chaldeans.
“He will speak strong words to Iraq, where crimes against humanity have been committed,” Michael said.
Ancient roots
The Christians of Iraq constitute one of the oldest and most diverse Christian groups in the world, with Chaldeans, Armenians, Orthodox, Protestants, and other sects.
In 2003, when the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein, Christians made up about 6 percent of Iraq’s 25 million people.
William Warda, one of the founders of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization, said that with the increase in population and the migration of minorities fleeing sectarian violence, the percentage of Christians has dropped to just one percent.
Most of them are concentrated in the Nineveh governorate in northern Iraq, where many of them still speak Aramaic, the language of Christ.
In 2014, ISIS jihadists seized control of Nineveh, invaded Christian cities, and gave its residents the option of converting to Islam or dying.
At that time, Pope Francis supported the use of force to stop the spread of ISIS and studied the possibility of traveling to northern Iraq to support the Christian minority.
That trip did not materialize, but the Pope continued to closely monitor the situation in Iraq, condemning the killing of unarmed protesters during a large-scale anti-government movement that erupted in 2019.
– Highly expected –
Pope John Paul II had planned to visit Iraq in 2000, but Saddam Hussein abruptly canceled the trip. After that, his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, did not take any initiative in the direction of Baghdad.
Former Pope Benedict XVI, who has resided in a Vatican monastery since his resignation, said this visit is “very important” but “also dangerous for security reasons and due to the outbreak of the Corona virus.”
Shortly after the election of Pope Francis in 2013, Father Louis Sacco, who was later appointed by the Pope as cardinal and president of the Chaldean Catholic Church, urged him to visit Iraq. SACO is now the main organizer of the visit.
In 2019, Iraqi President Barham Salih issued a formal invitation, hoping the visit would help Iraq “recover” after years of violence.
However, with the outbreak of the global Covid-19 epidemic that hit Italy to the heart, the Pope canceled all his trips abroad starting in June 2020.
The Pope will arrive in Baghdad on Friday morning, with his security team and a group of 75 international journalists who have received the vaccine like the Pope.
Days before the visit, the Vatican ambassador to Iraq was infected with the Coronavirus, but officials stressed that this would have “no impact” on the visit.
Despite the pandemic, the Pope intends to celebrate masses in Baghdad and Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, and the ancient city of Ur, the birthplace of the prophet Abraham.
Currently, there are about 4,000 new injuries in Iraq a day, and the authorities imposed a night curfew and a complete closure during the weekend, which will be extended to cover the entire period of the visit.
Social distancing will be imposed during all Masses, and those wishing to attend must register several weeks in advance to obtain tickets.
– ‘Massive impact’ –
Pope Francis is a strong supporter of interfaith dialogue and has visited many Muslim-majority countries, including Bangladesh in 2017, Turkey in 2018, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates in 2019.
In Abu Dhabi, the Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the great Sunni authority, met to sign a document encouraging greater dialogue between Christians and Muslims.
Pope Francis hopes his trip to Iraq will open a similar door with Shiite Muslims who number about 200 million worldwide and make up the majority of Iraq’s population.
As part of this effort, he will meet Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani at his modest home in Najaf. Sacco told AFP in January that the pope expected Sistani to endorse the “Abu Dhabi” message signed by al-Tayyib, but religious sources in Najaf strongly denied that Sistani had signed any documents.
However, the meeting will be one of the highlights of this extraordinary journey.
“It is a historic visit … We are talking about the leader of a religious sect followed by 20 percent of the world’s population,” said Najaf Governor Louay Al-Yasiri.
“His visit means a lot, and His Holiness’s visit to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani will have a great impact,” he told AFP.
© 2021 AFP
