Foreign heads of state's visits to Baghdad are usually announced at the last minute.

In an Iraq that is badly scarred by terrorist acts and wars, the plans for high-profile guests are often kept secret until the very end.

But that does not apply now.

Admittedly, Pope Francis has had to leave the pope's mobile at home for security reasons.

But plans for the trip here to Iraq have been wired out several weeks in advance. 

Long awaited pope

For three days, the pope will travel around Iraq, from Baghdad to the Prophet Abraham's birthplace Ur in the south to Mosul in the north.

For Iraqi Christians who have been hit hard by extremist violence, the historic visit is long overdue.

Only one-fifth of the 1.5 million Christians who lived in Iraq twenty years ago remain in the country today.

Christians in Iraq are still being persecuted, and many hope that Pope Francis' visit will put their rights on the agenda and underline the need for tolerance - in a country plagued by sectarian struggles following the 2003 US-led invasion.

Christians return to the Plains of Nineveh

The churches on the Nineveh Plain in northern Iraq are among the oldest in history.

In the Christian villages and towns outside Mosul, the joy and anticipation of the pope's visit has increased hour by hour this week.

From here, hundreds of thousands of Christians fled the Islamic State in the summer of 2014. Today, houses are being built and new shops are being opened.

At a pizzeria in the city of Qaraqosh, we meet Elias Hano who lived four years in Filipstad in Sweden and who has now returned.

He is one of many young people who hope that the future here will bear.

Half of the city's Christian population belonging to the Syrian Catholic and Syrian Orthodox Church is back.

In the city of Mosul, where the terrorist sect the Islamic State proclaimed its caliphate, the pope will hold a prayer for the victims of the war in a torn church.

In Mosul, the picture is still gloomy, only about 70 Christian families have returned.

Meeting with Muslim leaders

During the visit, the pope will meet another of the world's most influential religious leaders, the Shia Muslim ayatollah al-Sistani.

The historic meeting is planned down to the smallest detail and will be followed by both Iraqi politicians and neighboring Iran.

Al-Sistani has great influence over the Shiite militias accused of persecuting Christians, and has been a counterweight to Iran's influence in Iraq.

For Iraq's shrinking Christian minority, a message of solidarity from al-Sistani could increase security.

Security measures

Even if expectations are high, the visit is every security chief's nightmare.

The pope lands in Baghdad, where IS in January carried out a terrorist attack that killed 32 people.

As recently as the day before yesterday, a dozen rockets were fired at a military base housing American troops.

10,000 Iraqi troops have stepped up security around the trip, which is also being monitored by the Vatican's security forces.

Pope Francis, who is 84 years old, has been vaccinated and so has his entire entourage on the trip.

However, the first doses of the vaccine did not reach Iraq until the beginning of the week and there is a fear that the infection may spread during the visit.

The Vatican has rejected criticism that the pope's Mass will be held for 10,000 people on Sunday at risk of becoming a super-spreading event.

Strengthened relations with the Muslim world

"You are all brothers and sisters," reads the Vatican's slogan for the pope's journey.

Few Iraqis believe that the visit can cover the divisions that characterize the country.

But for Elias Hano, who is looking forward to Pope Francis' visit to the Syrian Catholic Church in Qaraqosh, the trip is an encouragement to Christians to return to their homes.

“We feel joy and energy.

Maybe more people dare to return after that. ”

Photo: SVT