What obligation does the United States still owe these Christians and other Iraqi religious minorities? What is it willing to do to assist and protect them?
March 11, 2021 at 9:32 am
After almost two decades of conflict, instability and bad government, a wave of excitement swept through Iraq last week with the long-awaited spectacle of hope and revival that was the four-day visit to the country by Pope Francis. Social media lit up with updates and images of the trip, following his every move and awed by his presence.
The pontiff toured Iraq from Baghdad to Najaf; from the plains of Ur, where Abraham is said to have been born, to the ruined city of Mosul where Daesh had its stronghold only two years ago and threatened to behead the head of the Catholic Church, before alighting in Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan.
An estimated 10,000 people were at the stadium. They erupted in ululating cheers when he arrived and did a lap around the track in his open-sided popemobile, the first and only time he has used it on this trip because of security concerns.
“The Church in Iraq is already doing so much by spreading Christ s mercy and forgiveness. Even in the midst of great poverty and difficulty, many of you have generously offered concrete help and solidarity to the poor and suffering,” the pope said.
Pope Francis s visit to Iraq is meant to be a morale boost for the country’s dwindling Christian population after years of war and the 2014 ISIS invasion