On his flight Friday to Baghdad for a March 5-8 historic visit to Iraq, Pope Francis told journalists that this is an “emblematic” trip and that is also a “duty” to visit this “land martyred for so many years.”
Iraqi Christians
Papal Visit to ‘Shine a Light’ on Plight of Christian Iraqis, U.S. Religious Freedom Commissioner Says
Ever since Iraq’s liberation from the Islamic State group in 2017, Nadine Maenza has noticed the world continues to pay less and less attention to the plight of the country’s Christians and other religious minorities.
In Iraq, Pope Francis Condemns ‘Murder, Exile, Terrorism, and Oppression’ in the Name of Religion
During his first remarks in Iraq, Pope Francis said that the name of God can never be used “to justify acts of murder, exile, terrorism, and oppression” and that minorities cannot be treated as second class citizens.
Pope Francis’ Full Speech to the Authorities of Iraq
Mr President, Members of Government and the Diplomatic Corps, Distinguished Authorities, Representatives of Civil Society, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am grateful for the opportunity to make this long-awaited and desired Apostolic Visit to the Republic of Iraq, and to come to this land, a cradle of civilization closely linked through the Patriarch Abraham and a number of the Prophets to the history of salvation and to the great religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Despite Risks, Iraqis Want Pope Francis to Go Ahead With Visit
Pope Francis is set to become the first pontiff to set a foot in Iraq on March 5, when he lands in Baghdad after a four-hour trip from Rome.
Analysis: In Iraq, Pope Can Deepen Ties With Church’s Natural Islamic Partners
Tomorrow Pope Francis leaves for Iraq, and in most of the Christian world it’ll be seen as a trip to honor the memory of a martyred Christian population that suffered unimaginable horrors under an ISIS occupation of the Nineveh Plains region of the country between 2014 and 2017.
U.S. Chaldean Catholics Hope Pope Francis’ Iraq Trip Brings Peace, Reconciliation
The 1,200 Chaldean Catholic families who live in Arizona are thousands of miles from the land of their birth. On March 5, their hearts will turn toward their native Iraq.
Pope Francis Says He Cannot Disappoint Iraqis, Asks Prayers for Trip
On the same day that 10 rockets hit an air base in Iraq, Pope Francis said he had to travel to the country because he could not disappoint them.
Historic Trip to Iraq Comes as Many Question Safety of Pope
Pope Francis traveled to Iraq on a first-ever pontiff visit to the birthplace of the biblical figure of Abraham. The Pope’s mission during the three day visit is three-fold: encouraging the Christian community, long- time victim of persecution and extremism; pursuing dialogue with Shia Islam; and encountering the Iraqi nation as a whole.
Iraqis Hope Papal Visit Can Help Unify Country’s Diverse Communities
When it seemed there was nothing “unprecedented” left for Pope Francis to accomplish, on March 5 he will embark in another historic first: A papal visit to Iraq, the birthplace of the biblical figure of Abraham.