Today, Thursday, Pope Francesco said - in a message to the Iraqis - that I would visit you as a "pilgrim who leads me to peace" for "forgiveness and reconciliation after years of war and terror."

The Pope affirmed - in a video message addressed to the Iraqi people on the eve of his departure to Iraq - that I “bring you a repentant pilgrim in order to ask God for forgiveness and reconciliation after years of war and terror (..) I am bringing you a pilgrim who leads me to peace.”

"Finally, I will be among you eager to meet you, to see your faces, and to visit your land, the cradle of the ancient and amazing civilization," he added.

He went on to say - addressing Christians who are still in Iraq - "images of destroyed homes and defiled churches are still in your eyes, and in your hearts are the wounds of the separation of loved ones and abandonment of homes."

Pope Francesco will arrive in Iraq Friday for an unprecedented visit, which includes a busy program that includes his travels to prominent sites in the country:

Here are five major sites to visit:

Tired Baghdad

On his first day in the Iraqi capital, the Pope will deliver a speech at the "Lady of Deliverance" Catholic Church in the Karrada neighborhood.

Militants from ISIS stormed the church on October 31, 2010, killing 44 worshipers, two priests, and 7 security forces and taking hostages, in one of the most violent attacks on the Christian community in Iraq.

The Iraqi forces were then able to end the detention process and kill all the militants in a two-hour operation.

The church's stained glass windows now bear the names of the victims, and the number of congregants dwindling, while concrete walls surround the church, making access difficult.

Prior to the Pope's visit, an Iraqi artist painted a picture of the Pope on concrete walls alongside white doves representing peace and the colors of the Iraqi flag.

The Pope will visit Najaf to meet Sistani (Reuters)

The city of Najaf

In the context of his communication with Muslims, the Pope visits the city of Najaf, which dates back to 1230 years and is the spiritual capital of most Shiites around the world.

The imposing, golden-domed mausoleum houses the tomb of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace).

For a long time this city was under Ottoman rule until 1915 when it fell to the British, who held out despite the rebellion of the local clergy.

In Najaf, the Pope will meet the supreme Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani.

The 90-year-old cleric does not appear in public, and rarely receives visitors, which makes the bilateral meeting one of the most prominent stations of the papal journey.

The meeting is taking place in Sistani's modest one-story home, with most journalists barred from attending the meeting.

The Ziggurat of Ur, southern Iraq, is a prominent station in the Pope's journey (communication sites)

The birthplace of the Prophet Abraham

From Najaf, the Pope moves to the ancient city of Ur in Dhi Qar Governorate, in southern Iraq, and its history goes back to pre-Christianity.

It was founded in the 26th century before Christ, and became a major city in the ancient Sumerian Akkadian Empire.

Ur is characterized by the ziggurat, a sinuous pyramid-like structure that was exposed in the 1930s.

Ur - which means "town" in the Sumerian language - is believed to be the place where the Prophet Abraham was born in the second millennium BC.

The Pope will hold ceremonies bringing together different religions with some of the smaller minorities in Iraq, including Yezidis and Sabeans.

Mosul and Qaraqosh

Northern Nineveh Governorate is the center of the Christian community in Iraq.

Its capital, Mosul, is where ISIS chose to announce the establishment of the "caliphate" in 2014.

In Mosul, the Pope will visit Al-Tahira Church in the west of the city, which was destroyed by ISIS before being defeated by Iraqi forces after a fierce war.

Records indicate that the church dates back to the 17th century, but some historians consider it to be a thousand years old.

During the fighting in 2017 the church roof collapsed, but the royal door and the old side doors were handed over.

UNESCO is currently working on rehabilitating it and other parts of Mosul's heritage, including churches and mosques.

About 30 kilometers to the south, Karakosh, also known as Baghdeda or Hamdaniya, is located. It has a long history before Christianity, but its residents today speak a modern dialect of Aramaic, the language of Christ.

The village of Qosh was severely destroyed by the Islamic State.

Erbil shelter

On one of the last stops of his visit, the Pope is holding an open-air mass in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

When ISIS invaded northern Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Christians, Muslims and Yazidis sought refuge in the region, which was hosting minorities displaced by the sectarian violence that Iraq witnessed during the previous stages following the invasion.

Erbil includes traces of human settlements dating back to the 23rd century and has become a major urban center throughout the Sumerian and Assyrian Empires.

Its castle - a huge complex on top of a hill overlooking the city's market - was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014.