The Pope begins a historic visit to Iraq

Baghdad | Pope Francis began a historic visit, the first of its kind, to Iraq, while indulging in more than one indication, highlighting the importance of this country on the world map. The visit, which lasts four days, is considered the Pope’s most dangerous trip abroad since his election to the head of the Catholic Church in 2012. The Pope’s plane landed yesterday at Baghdad International Airport, where he was received by the Prime Minister. Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, in addition to senior government officials, to go after That is the meeting of the President of the Republic, Barham Salih, at the Presidential Palace, in the center of the capital, Baghdad. The Pope had said in brief statements to journalists aboard his plane: “I am glad to make visits again,” referring to the Corona pandemic that prevented him from traveling, adding that it is a “symbolic visit and a duty to a land that has suffered for many years. “

Immediately after meeting Saleh, he went to the Church of Our Lady of Liberation, located in the Karrada district of central Baghdad, to perform a mass attended by a large number of Christian families. On October 31, 2010, that church witnessed a terrorist massacre at the hands of Al-Qaeda, which resulted in the death and injury of dozens of those inside. From there, the Pope called, in his speech, which was not without political messages, “the international community to support the peace efforts in Iraq”, calling for “an end to the proliferation of weapons here and everywhere. “And the cessation of what he called” special interests “and” foreign interests. ” That doesn’t care about the local population, “saying,” Stop violence, extremism, partisanship and intolerance! “He noted:” I am grateful for the opportunity to make this long-awaited visit to this land, the cradle of civilization, which is closely linked through the prophet Abraham and many prophets. “He added:” In recent decades, Iraq has suffered the disasters of wars and the scourge of terrorism, and of conflicts that have brought death and destruction. I cannot fail to mention the Yazidis, the innocent victims of an inhuman attack, as they have been subjected to persecution and murder due to their religious affiliation, and their identity and their very survival have been compromised. “He added:” The growing challenges require the entire human family to cooperate on a global scale to confront economic inequality and regional tensions that threaten the stability of these countries. “And he considered that” Iraq is called to show that differences can be converted into coexistence and harmony, and there are We encourage dialogue, and we call for the recognition of all societies and trends, especially since the Crown pandemic has caused a deterioration of social and economic conditions, and requires joint efforts, and there is importance for a distribution equitable vaccination. We also have to get out of our ordeals in a way that unifies and does not separate. “

Today, Francis meets with the religious authority, Ali al-Sistani, in the city of Najaf.

The visit is scheduled to start from Baghdad to include six cities within three days, the first of which is the city of Najaf, today Saturday, where he meets with the religious authority, Ali al-Sistani, in a meeting that receives a Much of interest, after which he visits the city of Ur in the Dhi Qar governorate, and performs religious ceremonies with the participation of children from some minorities, such as the Yezidis and the Sabeans. After that, he will travel to the cities of Mosul and Qaraqosh in Nineveh governorate, the center of the Christian community in Iraq, and the place that ISIS chose to announce the establishment of the “caliphate” in 2014. In Mosul, the Pope Visite the Church of Al-Tahira, which was destroyed by “ISIS”, knowing that according to some records, it dates back to the 17th century, while some historians estimate that it can go back a thousand years. About 30 kilometers to the south is Qaraqosh, also known as Baghdeda and Hamdania, which has a long history that preceded Christianity, but whose inhabitants today speak a modern dialect of Aramaic, the language of Christ. From there, the Pope will go to Erbil, the capital of the “Kurdistan Region”, the last leg of his visit, where he plans to celebrate an open-air mass.

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