Let arms go silent and fight corruption: Pope
Pope asks Iraqi officials to ‘combat the scourge of corruption,’ calls Yazidis ‘innocent victims of senseless atrocities,’ honours massacre victims at Baghdad church; Grand Imam of Al Azhar and Council of Muslim Elders praise courageous visit.
Pope Francis began his most risky foreign trip on Friday, flying into Iraq amid the tightest security ever seen for a papal visit to appeal to the country’s leaders and people to end militant violence and religious strife, saying peacemakers should finally be given a chance.
“May the clash of arms be silenced ... may there be an end to acts of violence and extremism,” he said, addressing Iraqi President Barham Salih, politicians and diplomats at the presidential palace.
Francis added that authorities must “combat the scourge of corruption, misuse of power and disregard for law.”
The country has deployed thousands of security personnel to protect him during the visit, which comes after a spate of rocket and suicide bomb attacks and a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile, Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar and Chairman of the Council of Muslim Elders, praised the visit of Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, to Iraq describing it as “historic and courageous.”
Muslim Council of Elders has said Francis’ visit to Iraq serves as a great opportunity to promote peace and is a message of solidarity with victims of violence in the region and around the world.
In a statement the Council said, “After years of destruction and war, we believe that the historic visit will help heal the wounds of the Iraqi people, while offering hope for a brighter future for Iraq and the region, one which will be filled with tolerance and coexistence.”
Francis landed in the afternoon at Baghdad’s
International Airport, where he was greeted by Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhemi, as well as groups showcasing Iraq’s diverse folklore music and dance.
He then met President Barham Salih — who had extended the official invitation to the pontiff in 2019 — as well as other government and religious figures.
Even before he landed, Francis told reporters on his plane that he felt duty-bound to make what he called an “emblematic” trip despite the difficulties because the country “has been martyred for so many years.”
At the official welcome in the presidential palace, the 84-year-old Francis, limping from what appeared to be a fresh flare-up of his painful sciatica, made an impassioned call for Iraqi to finally give peacemakers chance.
Salih thanked the pope for making the firstever papal visit to Iraq “despite the many recommendations to delay” because of the pandemic and other challenges in “our wounded country.”
The fact that the pope came anyway “multiplies the value of this visit for the Iraqi people,” the president said.
Hundreds of people gathered in small clusters to see him being driven into Baghdad in bulletproof BMW, a departure for a pope who normally insists on using small, normal cars.
A motorcade of dozens of vehicles accompanied him out of the airport compound, which recently came under rocket fire from militia groups.
In his speech at the palace, Francis, looking tired at the start of his first foreign trip in 16 months, criticised factional and foreign interests that have destabilised Iraq and the wider region and hit ordinary people the hardest.
“Iraq has suffered the disastrous effects of wars, the scourge of terrorism and sectarian conflicts often grounded in a fundamentalism incapable of accepting the peaceful coexistence of different ethnic and religious groups,” Francis said.
Francis said the minority Yazidis were victims of violent “atrocities” at the hands of Daesh group. “Here, among so many who have suffered, my thoughts turn to the Yazidis, innocent victims of senseless and brutal atrocities,” he said.
He later paid tribute to people killed in attacks motivated by religion, visiting a Baghdad church where gunmen killed about 50 worshippers in 2010.
Their deaths were a reminder that “violence or the shedding of blood are incompatible with authentic religious teachings,” he said.
The pope’s whirlwind four-day tour will take him by plane, helicopter and cars to four cities, including areas that most foreign dignitaries are unable to reach, let alone in such a short space of time.
“This visit is one of a kind. We are excited, and we all need this visit, all Iraqis do,” said an Iraqi Christian from Baghdad, Magin Derius.
The Muslim Council of Elders has said that Head of the Catholic Church His Holiness Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq serves as a great opportunity to promote peace and is a message of solidarity with victims of violence in the region and around the world.
In a statement on Pope Francis’ landmark visit to Iraq, the Council said, “After years of destruction and war, we believe that the historic visit will help heal the wounds of the Iraqi people, while offering hope for a brighter future for Iraq and the region, one which will be filled with tolerance and coexistence.
“Pope Francis’ insistence on conducting the visit, despite the many challenges, is a reflection of his complete faith in human fraternity as well as his willingness to uphold equality in the face of hatred, sectarianism and conflict.
“Pope Francis’ continued efforts in promoting peace are consistent with the Muslim Council Elders’ vision and goals of spreading peace, coexistence and communal respect while countering hate and extremism,” the statement concluded.
The Secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Elders, Dr. Sultan Al Remeithi said, “Pope Francis’ various visits in the Muslim world have only served to strengthen dialogue and friendship between East and West.”
Earlier, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-general of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity (HCHF), said that Pope Francis’s historic trip to Iraq is a clear sign of the humanitarian approach he adopts.
“His Holiness Pope Francis’s historic trip to the ailing Iraq that has been suffering from wars, divisions, and terrorism for years and the Pope’s insistence to support the Iraqi people despite the pandemic constitute a clear sign of the humanitarian approach the Pope has adopted and to which he has dedicated his entire life.
“This is a real embodiment of the principles enshrined in the Human Fraternity Document and the papal encyclical Fratelli Tutti,” Abdelsalam said in a statement.
He pointed out that the full programme of the Pope’s visit and the places and cities he will tour reflect his keenness to communicate with all Iraqi population.
“It is undoubtedly a significant visit for our Arab region that carries several messages of solidarity with the victims of violence and terrorism and the promotion of values of fraternity and citizenship in Iraq and beyond. It’s a courageous initiative that is not unusual for such a great peace figure and a leader who leads the world on the path to peace and coexistence,” Abdelsalam noted.
The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity held the second youth dialogue as part of the “Human Fraternity Education and Leadership for Peace” (HELP) programme, which is a series of virtual interactive meetings in which young people from different cultures and countries communicate to discuss and exchange views on issues related to human fraternity, such as peace, coexistence, citizenship and pluralism.
Young people from different continents around the world discussed issues related to the implementation of the principles of human fraternity in their societies, the role of religious leaders in spreading the values and principles of the Document on Human Fraternity, and how they can spread the values of coexistence, tolerance, peace and human fraternity in their societies. Joining the discussions were two members of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, namely 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee and Rabbi Bruce Lustig, Senior Rabbi at the Washington Hebrew Congregation.
At the opening segment of the meeting, Gbowee stressed the importance of the youth in spreading the values of coexistence, tolerance and peace, which were stipulated in the Document on Human Fraternity that was signed by His Eminence Ahmed el-tayeb, Grand Imam Al-azhar, and His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church.