POPE FRANCIS IN IRAQ

Historic first visit to heal wounds, build bridges and return treasures

Pope Francis promised to be a “pilgrim of peace” as he prepared for his historic visit to Iraq.

The pontiff was expected to arrive at Baghdad International Airport at about noon on Friday.

He was due to meet Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi before taking the short ride to the Presidential Palace in the capital for an official welcoming ceremony.

He was then scheduled to visit the Church of Our Lady of Salvation, the scene of a 2010 terrorist attack in which six ISIS suicide bombers killed 58 people, including two priests.

Over three days, Pope Francis will visit cities with Christian communities including Erbil, Mosul, Najaf, Nasiriyah and the ancient city of Ur. He will also meet Iraqi religious leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani on Saturday.

At 90, Mr Al Sistani is six years older than the Pope and is rarely seen in public. The pontiff will visit his home for a meticulously planned reception.

He will travel back to Baghdad in time for a Mass at the Chaldean Cathedral of Saint Joseph, before spending Sunday in the north of the country.

In a video message released yesterday, the Pope offered his hand to “brothers and sisters of other religions”, but also highlighted the heavy toll paid by Iraq’s Christian communities, saying there had been “too many martyrs”.

“I long to meet you, to see your faces, to visit your land, ancient and extraordinary cradle of civilisation,” the Pope said.

“I come as a pilgrim, a penitent pilgrim to implore forgiveness and reconciliation from the Lord after years of war and terrorism.”

Iraq’s Christian community is one of the oldest and most diverse in the world, with Chaldeans and other Catholics making up about half, along with Armenians, Protestants and others.

By 2003, when the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein, Christians made up about 6 per cent of Iraq’s 25 million people.

But after years of bloodshed and departures, their number has fallen to 400,000 today.

The visit will be the Pope’s first foreign trip since the start of the pandemic and aides on the Iraqi and papal sides have tested positive for Covid-19 in the run-up.

Pope Francis is fulfilling the dream of a predecessor, John Paul II, by visiting Iraq.

Increased rocket attacks on Iraqi and coalition bases, including an attack on Wednesday that killed a US contractor, have raised safety concerns.

Even the Pope’s predecessor Benedict XVI said the trip was dangerous.

“I think it’s a very important trip,” he told the Corriere della Sera daily.

“Unfortunately, it comes at a very difficult time, which also makes it a dangerous trip: for reasons of security and for coronavirus. And then there’s the unstable situation in Iraq.”

But the Pope said he was determined not to disappoint the Iraqi people.

Speaking in Baghdad on Thursday, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein welcomed the papal visit as an exceptional gesture of interreligious fraternity.

“It is a message of peace, coexistence and tolerance. Our country and our region need this message,” Mr Hussein said.

A senior official who has been briefed on the security plan said that the forces involved had been trained to deal with worst-case scenarios, from street battles to bombings and rocket attacks.

The hypothetical threats were part of large-scale exercises in preparation for the visit, which will end with a farewell ceremony at Baghdad airport on Monday.

About 10,000 security personnel will protect the pontiff, who may travel in armoured cars in a departure from the norm for him.

“Clearly, we are now talking about a trip where security needs are different than other trips, so it is much more probable, possible that an armoured car will be used,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

The attention to detail baffled some Iraqis, who have seen roads repaved and services installed especially for the papal trip.

“We appreciate that he’s coming, but I don’t understand why there is so much attention given to this trip,” said Nour Ahmed, 21, a university student in Baghdad.

It is a message of peace, coexistence and tolerance. Our country and our region need this message

FUAD HUSSEIN Iraqi Foreign Minister