Pope John Paul II wanted to visit Ur, the birthplace of Abraham according to the biblical tradition within a journey through the Middle East including Israel, Jordan and Palestine but the visit was cancelled due to differences between the Government of Saddam Hussein and representatives of the Holy See[2] which caused the Iraqi to prohibit the visit.
The preparations for the visit were nearing completion early in 2020, when he met the President of Iraq, Barham Salih, at an audience in the Vatican on 25 January of that year.[4] On the 7 December 2020, the Holy See Press Director Matteo Bruni released a statement confirming that Pope Francis would make an apostolic visit after accepting the invitation of the Republic of Iraq and the Chaldean Catholic Church to visit the Middle Eastern country of Iraq between 5–8 March 2021. It was his first apostolic visit since November 2019 as journeys were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic throughout 2020.[2] Pope Francis mentioned he would arrive as a penitent pilgrim and pray for forgiveness after a long period of interreligious conflicts during the civil war in Iraq.[5] Despite the fact that the Ambassador of the Vatican, ArchbishopMisko Leskovar contracted COVID-19 and remained in self-isolation, the Pope wanted to travel to Iraq.[5] During the visit, several security measures were taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic as well as threats of terrorist attacks.[5][6] A 10,000 security personnel contingent was announced to safeguard the Pope[7][8] while the pope and the journalists accompanying him were provided with the BionTech Pfizer vaccine.[9] The visit to Ali Al-Sistani in Najaf was prepared with great care to details such as what beverages would be taken or on for how many meters Pope Francis would walk to Al Sistani home.[10] Before arrival, Francis, 20 members of his entourage, and more than 70 journalists who accompanied them were vaccinated against COVID-19.[11]
On the 6 March 2021 he visited Najaf, where he met the Shia cleric and Grand AyatollahAli Al Sistani.[17] The meeting was televised by the Iraqi state TV[1] and took place in the home of Al Sistani nearby the Imam Ali Shrine.[18] They released a joint statement against religious extremism. On the same day he visited Ur, which according to the Bible is the birthplace of Abraham, whom Jews, Muslims and Christians consider is their religious father.[17] In the evening he returned to Baghdad where he held a mass in the Church of St.Joseph.[19] It was the first time, that Pope Francis delivered a liturgy according to the eastern rite.[19]
On 8 March 2021, he left Iraq from Baghdad after he met with Iraqi President Barham Salih during a farewell ceremony.[27]
Influence
In Iraq, the 6 March has been declared as a "Day of Tolerance and Coexistence" by the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi, commemorating the encounter between the Shia cleric Ali Al-Sistani and Pope Francis [28] Upon the depart of Pope Francis, CardinalLouis Raphaël I Sako announced the pope donated the sum of $350,000 to the Iraqi people of which $250,000 were to be distributed by the Chaldean Church of Baghdad, $50,000 by the Chaldean Catholic Church in Mosul and the remainder by the Syrian Catholic Church which includes also Qaraqosh.[29] Besides the Cardinal has delivered several propositions concerning the enhancement of education, intercultural tolerance and the protection of the holy sites as described in the Iraqi Penal Code in April 2021.[30]
Controversy
To remember his visit in Kurdistan Region, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) revealed a set of six stamps which included one depicting the head of Pope Francis surrounded by a map which resembled a Greater Kurdistan which includes areas in Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq.[31][32] This led to criticism by Turkey who demanded explications for this "grave mistake"[33] and prosecuted the Kurdish MP of the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) Berdan Öztürk for terrorist propaganda for defending the issuing of the commemorative stamp.[34] Iran also criticized the stamp, mentioning that the map depicted is contrary to international law.[35] KRG authorities responding to the criticism explained that the stamps did not yet count with the authorization to be printed.[36][37]
