March 6, 2021 Written by VOA
Pope Francis Friday began a long-desired trip to Iraq, the first to the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham by any head of the Catholic Church.
It is the first trip by Pope Francis to a foreign country since the pandemic, and everyone on the papal plane was vaccinated against COVID-19. In his own words, Pope Francis said he arrived in Iraq as a “pilgrim of peace for all Iraqis, although the country’s beleaguered, dwindling Christian community will take special encouragement and comfort from his presence.
The visit is also the first by a Roman Catholic pope to a majority Shiite Muslim country and will be crowned by the pontiff’s meeting with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of the most revered authorities in Shiite
صوت العراق | البابا فرنسيس يصل العراق حاملا رسالة تضامن إلى إحدى أكثر المجموعات المسيحية تجذرا في المنطقة sotaliraq.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sotaliraq.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pope Francis Friday began his historic foreign trip, flying into Iraq amid the tightest security ever seen for a papal visit. The country has deployed thousands of security personnel to protect him during the visit, which comes after a spate of rocket and suicide bomb attacks and a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Papa Francesco conferma il viaggio a Baghdad: «Città-polveriera A Dio piacendo sarà un passo verso la Fratellanza» ilgazzettino.it - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ilgazzettino.it Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.