Pope Francis to Visit Iraq Next March, First Pope to Visit Country

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VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MARCH 29: Pope Francis waves to the faithful as he leaves St. Peter's Square at the the end of Palm Sunday Mass on March 29, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican. On Palm Sunday Christians celebrate Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem, where he was put to death. It marks the official beginning of Holy Week during which Christians observe the death of Christ before celebrations begin on Easter.

Pope Francis would fly to Iraq in March 2021, according to the Vatican press office's announcement on Monday. The upcoming trip to the war-torn nation could be his first beyond Italy since COVID-19 commenced.

This will be the first visit by a pope to Iraq, which is a risky four-day trip that has been evaded by his predecessors.

Pope Francis to Visit Iraq in March 2021

According to spokesperson Matteo Bruni, Pope Francis would visit the capital Baghdad, Ur, a city associated with the Old Testament figure of Abraham, Mosul, Erbil, and Qaraqosh in the plain of Nineveh.

This will also be his first Apostolic Journey since the novel coronavirus pandemic's outbreak.

The pope had been formally invited by Iraq President Barham Salih and the country's Catholic Church.

The 83-year-old pontiff has long declared his longing to visit Iraq, where two decades of conflict have burdened Christian communities.

According to Brunbi, the trip would be held from March 5 to 8, 2021.

The trip to Mosul would be the first by a senior international figure for 5 years and would be significant as the ancient northern city was formerly an Islamic State group stronghold.

Bruni indicated Pope Francis would be accepting the request of the Republic of Iraq and the local Catholic Church.

Details about the trip "will be made known in due course and will take into consideration the evolution of the worldwide health emergency," stated Bruni, reported The Catholic Universe.

The event would be the pope's first international trip since November 2019. Visits abroad planned for this year were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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According to Iraq's foreign ministry in a statement, the trip "represents a historic event and support for all Iraqis of all sectors. It also represents a message of peace to Iraq and to the region as a whole, affirms the unity of the humanitarian position in confronting extremism and conflicts, and promotes diversity and tolerance. And coexistence," reported Hindustan Times.

Iraq is still recuperating from the devastation brought upon by the Islamic State.

The pope's visit to Iraq comes at the appeal of the Republic of Iraq and the local Catholic Church, also according to Bruni on December 7. The pope will spend his time visiting the Christian communities in the Nineveh Plain, which were devastated by the Islamic State between 2014 and 2016. This led to Christians fleeing the region.

Pope Francis declared in a meeting of Catholic aid agencies in 2019 that he wanted to travel to the country in 2020.

He announced during the June 2019 meeting, "I think constantly of Iraq -- where I want to go next year -- in the hope that it can face the future through the peaceful and shared pursuit of the common good on the part of all elements of society, including the religious, and not fall back into hostilities sparked by the simmering conflicts of the regional powers," reported Businessworld.

The last international trips of Pope Francis were to Thailand and Japan in November 2019.

On January 25, he met with Iraqi President Barham Salih at the Vatican.