BAGHDAD: Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Iraq is an "important event for all minorities", because he sends a "strong signal of great support" after the suffering " under Daesh [Arabic acronym for the Islamic State, IS]", says Saad Salloum, journalist and associate professor at the chair of political science at the prestigious al-Mustan?iriyya university in Baghdad, one of the oldest in the world, in an exclusive interview.
Co-founder of the Iraqi Council for Interfaith Dialogue and President of the Masarat Foundation, specializing in the protection of diversity, he holds numerous positions in organizations, associations and cultural institutions engaged in dialogue between different faiths. In 2018 he won the Stefanus Prize for religious freedom.