Pope Francis began a three-day visit to Iraq on Friday.

A historic trip to a war-torn country with one of the oldest Christian communities in the world.

On the route of the sovereign pontiff, the faithful had braved confinement to try to see him. 

REPORT

It is a historic trip that Pope Francis began on Friday.

The Sovereign Pontiff began the first papal visit in the history of Iraq to a country with one of the oldest Christian communities in the world.

While this visit should last three days, he took advantage of this first day to meet the political and religious leaders of this country ravaged by war and crisis, but also visited the city's cathedral.

In 2010, this place of worship was targeted by an attack killing 48 people during mass. 

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This Friday, the cathedral nevertheless sounded a little hollow.

Only a handful of people had been chosen to attend this ceremony.

It was not security that was at issue, but the coronavirus pandemic, while the country has so far recorded 719,121 cases of contamination, including 13,537 deaths. 

"Let's end the violence"

"After a crisis, rebuilding is not enough, we must strive to do it well so that everyone has a life of dignity," said Pope Francis.

"We do not all emerge equal from a crisis, we come out either better or worse," he added, before concluding: "Let's put an end to violence, end extremism." 

On the Pope's journey, a few faithful had braved confinement to see him briefly pass in front of them.

But of the black sedan driving the sovereign pontiff, only his hand protruded.

Never mind for Maryam, who is looking forward to this historic visit.

"I saw him arrive and I consider it a miracle that he is there with us, in Iraq", she confides to Europe 1, after having followed the day on his television.

"A few weeks ago, it was unthinkable that he could come this far. This time, that's it." 

The Pope is expected in particular on Saturday in Ur and Sunday in Erbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, where he will celebrate a mass in a stadium in front of several thousand faithful.

On Saturday, he will also be received in the holy city of Najaf by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest authority for many Shiites in Iraq and the world.