 Pope Francis giving a speech in the hall of thePresidential Palace,Baghdad | |
| Date | 5–8 March 2021 |
|---|---|
| Location | Ur Baghdad Najaf Qaraqosh Erbil Mosul |
| Website | Vatican website |
Pope Francis's visit to Iraq took place between 5 March and 8 March 2021. The visit was accorded on following an invitation of theGovernment of Iraq andthe Chaldean Catholic Church. The visit was remembered as an attempt to mend bridges between thedifferent faiths in Iraq. During this first ever journey to Iraq by aPontifex,Pope Francis visited the cities ofUr,Baghdad,Najaf,Qaraqosh,Erbil andMosul.[1]
PopeJohn Paul II wanted to visitUr, the birthplace ofAbraham according to the biblical tradition within a journey through the Middle East includingIsrael,Jordan andPalestine but the visit was cancelled due to differences between the Government ofSaddam Hussein and representatives of theHoly See[2] which caused the Iraqi government to prohibit the visit.
The visit was accorded on following an invitation of theGovernment of Iraq and theChaldean Catholic Church.[3]
The preparations for the visit were nearing completion early in 2020, when he met the President of Iraq,Barham Salih, at an audience in the Vatican on 25 January of that year.[4] On the 7 December 2020, the Holy See Press DirectorMatteo Bruni released a statement confirming thatPope Francis would make an apostolic visit after accepting the invitation of theRepublic of Iraq and theChaldean Catholic Church to visit theMiddle Eastern country of Iraq between 5–8 March 2021. It was his first apostolic visit since November 2019 as journeys were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic throughout 2020.[2] Pope Francis mentioned he would arrive as a penitent pilgrim and pray for forgiveness after a long period of interreligious conflicts during thecivil war in Iraq.[5] Despite the fact that the Ambassador of the Vatican,ArchbishopMisko Leskovar contractedCOVID-19 and remained in self-isolation, the Pope wanted to travel to Iraq.[5] During the visit, several security measures were taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic as well as threats of terrorist attacks.[5][6] A 10,000 security personnel contingent was announced to safeguard the Pope[7][8] while the pope and the journalists accompanying him were provided with theBionTech Pfizer vaccine.[9] The visit to Ali Al-Sistani inNajaf was prepared with great care to details such as what beverages would be taken or on for how many meters Pope Francis would walk to Al Sistani home.[10] Before arrival, Francis, 20 members of his entourage, and more than 70 journalists who accompanied them were vaccinated against COVID-19.[11]
Upon his arrival at theBaghdad International Airport, the pope was welcomed by the Iraqi Prime MinisterMustafa al-Khadimi.[12][1][13] Two children in traditional dresses presented flowers and a military band accompanied the prime minister.[13] Following he enteredBaghdad, where his arrival was announced onbillboards and the Flags ofIraq and theVatican flying jointly side by side.[8] When he met the Iraqi presidentBarham Salih at the Presidential Palace in Baghdad[14] who gave him a welcome gift of a replica from a work ofMohammed Ghani Hikmat depicting thePassion of Jesus before hiscrucifixion.[15] He then addressed the Iraqi population through a televised speech acknowledging the importance of Iraq as acradle of civilizations.[5][16]
On the 6 March 2021 he visited Najaf, where he met theShia cleric andGrand AyatollahAli Al Sistani.[17] The meeting was televised by theIraqi state TV[1] and took place in the home of Al Sistani nearby theImam Ali Shrine.[18] They released a joint statement against religious extremism. On the same day he visited Ur, which according to the Bible is the birthplace ofAbraham, whomJews,Muslims andChristians consider is their religious father.[17] In the evening he returned to Baghdad where he held a mass in theChurch of St.Joseph.[19] It was the first time, that Pope Francis delivered aliturgy according to theeastern rite.[19]
On the 7 March 2021 he visited the demolishedSyriac CatholicChurch of Immaculate Conception inQaraqosh.[20][17] At Mosul's Church Square,[21] which is surrounded by churches of four different Christian groups – theSyrian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, the Chaldean, andArmenian Orthodox,[22] – he held a mass and prayed for the fraternity between the different religions in Iraq.[22] The location of the gathering was decorated by two symbolicChristian crosses. One was crafted with the wood from the ruined churches in Bakhdida/Qaraqosh.[21] The other one was made byOmar Qais, an Iraqi artist from Mosul.[21] The Pope brought back to Iraq a 500-year oldAssyrian prayer book from the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, which was brought toItaly after ISIL captured the city. The book was restored under the auspices of theMinistry of Cultural Heritage in Italy.[23]
In December 2024, an excerpt from an autobiography by Francis was released that revealed his trip to Mosul had been targeted in a suicide bombing assassination attempt. Francis said that Vatican officials were notified of the plot by British intelligence services and that two bombers, including a young woman, were killed by Iraqi police prior to them attempting the bombings.[24]
The same day, he also visited theKurdistan Region, where he arrived at theErbil International Airport and received by the politiciansNechirvan Barzani,Masoud Barzani,Masrour Barzani andQubad Talabani.[25] He acknowledged the safeguarding role the KRG played for theChristians during theIraqi Civil War against theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).[25] In Erbil, he gave a mass in front of 10,000 participants in theFranso Hariri Stadium inErbil.[26] The attendants wore protective masks againstCOVID-19, and the stadium was not full as the Government adjusted the number of participants ahead of the mass.[27]
On 8 March 2021, he left Iraq from Baghdad after he met with Iraqi President Barham Salih during a farewell ceremony.[28]
In Iraq, the 6 March has been declared as a "Day of Tolerance and Coexistence" by the Iraqi Prime MinisterMustafa Al Kadhimi, commemorating the encounter between the Shia cleric Ali Al-Sistani and Pope Francis[29] Upon the departure of Pope Francis,CardinalLouis Raphaël I Sako announced the pope donated the sum of $350,000 to the Iraqi people of which $250,000 were to be distributed by the Chaldean Church of Baghdad, $50,000 by the Chaldean Catholic Church in Mosul and the remainder by the Syrian Catholic Church which also includes Qaraqosh.[30] Besides the Cardinal has delivered several propositions concerning the enhancement of education, intercultural tolerance and the protection of the holy sites as described in the Iraqi Penal Code in April 2021.[31]
To remember his visit inKurdistan Region, theKurdistan Regional Government (KRG) revealed a set of six stamps which included one depicting the head of Pope Francis surrounded by a map which resembled aGreater Kurdistan which includes areas inTurkey,Iran,Syria andIraq.[32][33] This led to criticism byTurkey who demanded explications for this "grave mistake"[34] and prosecuted the Kurdish MP of thePeoples Democratic Party (HDP)Berdan Öztürk for terrorist propaganda for defending the issuing of the commemorative stamp.[35] Iran also criticized the stamp, mentioning that the map depicted is contrary to international law.[36] KRG authorities responding to the criticism explained that the stamps did not yet count with the authorization to be printed.[37][38]
