By Elishya Perera
BAGHDAD (CU)_Pope Francis arrived in Iraq on Friday (March 5), in the first ever papal visit to one of the most dangerous countries in the world.
Despite heightened security concerns regarding his visit, the pontiff said he felt compelled to make the visit to the Middle Eastern nation, since its people “have suffered so much”.
Pope Francis arrived at Baghdad airport under tight security, and hundreds of people gathered in small clusters to watch him being driven to the capital city in a bulletproof BMW, in stark contrast to small, normal cars which he would usually insist on.
Later, the 84-year-old pope delivered a speech at the palace, during which he made an impassioned call for the end to the religious strife and military violence that has prevailed in the country for decades. He also criticised foreign interests that have destabilised Iraq and the Middle Eastern region, affecting ordinary people the most.
“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,” Pope Francis said.
The pontiff later visited a church in Baghdad where about 50 worshippers were killed by Islamist gunmen in 2010, and he paid tribute those who died in the incident. Pope Francis said their deaths were a reminder that violence and shedding of blood are “incompatible with authentic religious teachings”.
Since the defeat of Islamic State in 2017, security in Iraq has improved to a certain extent, although the country continues to be a theatre for military clashes in the international community, particularly between the US and Iran, whose rivalry has played out on Iraqi soil.
Meanwhile, the pope’s historic tour will take him by cars, helicopter and plane to four cities in the Middle Eastern nation, including places which cannot be reached by most foreign dignitaries, particularly in such a short space of time.
The pontiff will celebrate mass at a church in Baghdad and will also visit the southern city of Najaf, where he will meet Iraq’s top Shi’ite Muslim cleric. He will also visit the city of Ur, the birthplace of Prophet Abraham, who is revered by Christians, Jews and Muslims.
