Iraq: "Enough violence", launches Pope Francis on his arrival in Baghdad
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazimi welcomes Pope Francis at Baghdad International Airport on March 5, 2021. VIA REUTERS - IRAQI PRIME MINISTER MEDIA OFFIC
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4 min
The sovereign pontiff arrived in Baghdad this Friday for a historic three-day visit to the country, which will take him in particular to the ancient city of Ur and to the territories formerly under the control of the Islamic State group.
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In the planes bringing him to Iraq, François told journalists that he was happy to resume travel after 16 months without leaving Italy, says our special envoy,
Arthur Herlin
.
"
It is an emblematic journey, a duty on a land so martyred
", he underlined.
He also said he wanted to “
follow the
health
indications
” during
this three-day visit
, but “
stay close to the people
”.
Upon his arrival on Iraqi soil, he was greeted by Prime Minister Moustafa al-Kazimi, before going to the presidential palace.
The sovereign pontiff had swapped the usual small Fiat for a sedan.
His convoy crossed roads entirely framed by tanks and armed men as scores of Iraqis piled up for miles.
The leader of the 1.3 billion Catholics of the world then spoke about all the hot topics in Iraq to his most senior officials, including President Barham Saleh, who had sent the official invitation and who greeted "
a guest appreciated
" by Iraqis.
"
Enough extremisms
"
"
Enough violence, extremism, intolerance
", launched the pope in front of the officials.
Enough also, of "
corruption
", reason why hundreds of thousands of Iraqis had demonstrated for months at the end of 2019. At the time already, the Pope had urged Iraq to stop repressing its young people in demand for justice .
We must "
build justice
", he insisted again.
And that “
no one is considered a second-class citizen
”, especially not Christians - 1% of the population in this Muslim country - nor Yazidis, victims according to the Pope of “
senseless and inhuman barbarities
”.
He also recalled “
the very ancient presence of Christians on this land
” where Abraham was born according to the tradition, pleading for “
their participation in public life
” as “
citizens fully enjoying rights, freedom and responsibility
”.
►
Also to listen
:
The Christians of Iraq, after Daesh
Same words, later, in the cathedral of Baghdad, targeted in 2010 by a deadly attack.
"
The Catholic community in Iraq, although small as a seed of mustard,
[must continue]
to enrich the progress of the country as a whole
", declared the sovereign pontiff there, thanking at the same gesture the bishops and the priests present. “
To have remained close to your people, supporting them
”.
Iraq's Christian community has grown from nearly 1.5 million members in 2003 to less than 400,000 today.
Pope Francis met with bishops, priests and seminarians in the cathedral in Baghdad, Iraq on March 5, 2021. via REUTERS - VATICAN MEDIA
Pope Francis' Iraqi program is ambitious.
Najaf, Ur, Erbil, Mosul, Qaraqosh: each time, he will only see a few hundred people, with the exception of a Sunday mass in a stadium in Erbil in Kurdistan, in the presence of several thousand faithful.
Baghdad has assured that it has taken all "land and air" security measures.
And, an unexpected sign of relaxation in the Iranian-American tensions still latent in Iraq, one of the small groups that sometimes claim rocket fire targeting Americans has announced a truce during the papal visit.
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