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(CNN) – Pope Francis will travel to Iraq in March 2021, the Vatican press office announced Monday.
His trip to the war-torn country could be his first trip outside of Italy since the coronavirus pandemic began. Francis is scheduled to “visit Baghdad, linked to the memory of Abraham, the city of Erbil, as well as Mosul and Qaraqosh on the Nineveh Plain” during his March 5-8 visit, the Vatican statement said.
“The program of the trip will be announced in due course and will take into account the evolution of the global health emergency,” he added.
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry said the Pope’s visit “represents a historic event and support for all Iraqis from all walks of life.”
“It also represents a message of peace for Iraq and for the region as a whole, affirms the unity of the humanitarian position to confront extremism and conflict, and promotes diversity and tolerance. And coexistence,” the ministry said in a statement. release.
About 1% of the Iraqi population is Christian of various denominations. The country has witnessed an exodus of Christians in recent decades as Iraq was rocked by cycles of violence, including the rise of ISIS.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “Pope Francis Will Visit Iraq in March, Vatican Says.”
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