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The Church of Our Lady of Liberation in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, will be Pope Francis’ first stop during his historic visit to Iraq, so what is the symbolism of this visit?
In the Pope’s first historic visit from the Vatican to Iraq, Pope Francis begins a four-day visit to Baghdad, in which he will visit several Iraqi provinces, including Najaf, Dhi Qar, Erbil and Mosul, as well as the capital, Baghdad.
Iraq is fully preparing to receive the Pope, who will go from the Baghdad airport to the Presidential Palace, to attend social and religious events.
According to the correspondent of “Sky News Arabia” in Baghdad, the Vatican Pope will celebrate a mass in the church “Our Lady of Liberation”, with official and popular attendance.
The symbolism of this mass arises from the fact that it is taking place in a church that was hit by terrorism in 2010, when more than 52 Christians were killed, as a result of the release of dozens of hostages, who were detained by the terrorist organization. “Al Qaeda” inside the church in Baghdad’s Karrada district.
While the church was performing a mass, armed men assaulted it, some of them equipped with explosive belts, and closed the doors of the church after entering and taking dozens of hostages, as they demanded the release of the “Al Qaeda” detainees.
An American force, accompanied by hundreds of Iraqi forces, stormed the church to free the hostages. However, the indiscriminate bombardment of “Al Qaeda” elements and the detonation of one of the suicide bombers caused dozens of casualties, while the joint force managed to kill about eight suicide bombers.
The Pope’s visit to Iraq is his first trip abroad since the start of the Crown epidemic last year, and the visit is an extension of the series of visits the Pope made to Arab countries under the motto of promoting a culture of tolerance and coexistence. between religions.
The Vatican called the Pope’s visit a “message of love and peace to Mesopotamia,” a trip that was postponed 20 years due to the siege imposed at the time.
Commenting on the visit, the Vatican Pope said: “I long to meet you, see your faces and visit your land, the ancient and amazing cradle of civilization.
The Pope has always insisted on the need for the coexistence of religions and the spread of the spirit of tolerance, a trend that emerged in practical steps, through a series of tours to Arab countries.
Pope Francis had previously visited Jordan’s capital Amman in 2014, and then went to Palestine, calling for the achievement of peace and peace.
In 2017, the Pope met with the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, during the International Conference for Tolerance in Egypt.
As for the year 2019, during which Pope Francis Rahal traveled to the United Arab Emirates, which would be the Vatican’s first visit to the Arab Gulf region.
A visit that the Pope considered a new page in the history of relations between religions and the achievement of cultural and civilizational convergence between peoples, during which he signed the Document of Human Fraternity for Peace and World Coexistence, with the Great Al-Azhar magnet. , Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb.
A month later, Pope Francis visited the Moroccan capital, Rabat, highlighting the need to constantly adopt a culture of dialogue to build a society of solidarity.
The Pope’s visit to Iraq is expected to yield positive results, which Iraqis can rely on, to contribute to the consolidation of stability and open the door to reconciliation among the various components of the Iraqi spectrum.
