BICOM
5th March 2021
The Financial Times report on the historic visit of Pope Francis to Iraq. The papers note that the Pope decided to travel despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and security risks. The Pope will arrive in Iraq today for a four-day visit aimed at supporting the country’s shrinking Christian community and promoting inter-religious dialogue. Despite a rocket attack on US military positions in Iraq early this week, the Pope has vowed to go ahead with the visit, even amid risks to his personal safety, saying it was an “act of love” to show solidarity with the country’s Christian community. This will be the first papal visit to Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion.