He will meet with political and religious leaders, including the prominent Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. But the pope has come under some scrutiny for traveling during the pandemic. While he has been vaccinated, many in Iraq have not. The Vatican's ambassador to the country, Mitja Leskovar, tested positive for COVID-19 last month. Another concern is security. Militia groups in Iraq have fired rockets at areas that used to be safe. But Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdistan region, told France 24 that Iraqis are ready. “We are taking all the precautionary measures to provide maximum security for his holiness’ visit to our region."