Pope Francis is traveling to Iraq in his first-ever papal visit to Iraq, and his first international trip since the coronavirus outbreak. The four-day-long trip aims to reassure the country’s dwindling Christian community and promote inter-religious dialogue. Moreover, the Pope is expected to say a prayer in Mosul, meet Iraq’s most revered religious leader, and celebrate Mass at a local stadium.
Despite a surge of infections across the country and security concerns, the Pope insisted on traveling to Iraq. Meanwhile, the local government has decided to deploy 10,000 Iraqi troops to protect, with an around-the-clock curfew being imposed across the country to stop a surge in coronavirus infections.
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On Wednesday, soon after the rocket attack hit a base hosting the American troops, the Pope said in a statement that the nation’s Christians could not be “let down for a second time.” Previously in 1999, when the talks with the Saddam-led government failed, Pope John Paul two canceled his plans for the trip to the country.
Since then, one of the world’s oldest Christian communities recorded its number plummet to 250,000 from a whopping 1.4 million. After the US toppled the Saddam government, the growing religious violence forced many to flee abroad. In 2014, when the Islamic State (IS) terrorists ran the northern part of the country, tens of thousands of Christians were displaced, with hundreds of historic churches destroyed.
However, the visit by Roman Catholic Church’s head aims to embolden the persecuted religious minority and calls for peace in meeting with religious and political leaders of Iraq. While addressing the people in a video clip recorded ahead of his visit, the Pope described his visit as “pilgrimage.”
But given the surge in coronavirus infections, the Pope is likely to have minimal public interaction, with many experts expressing fears that his visit could become a super spreader event. Upon his arrival on Friday, Pope Francis will be welcomed by the Iraqi Prime Minister before meeting with Syriac Catholic Church in the capital. The next day, the Pope will leave for Najaf, where he will visit Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a Shia spiritual leader. He will also attend an event at Ur, which is believed to be the birthplace of Prophet Abraham.
