Pope Francis Creates A History On A Risky Visit To Iraq: The Iraqi People Are Waiting

Pope Francis gets out of the plane. (Wikimedia Commons / Korea.Net via Korean Culture and Information Service / Park Jun-soo)

JAKARTA - Pope Francis arrived in Iraq after the Alitalia flight that took him along with security personnel and 75 journalists arrived at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq.

Pope Francis created a history, in which this is the first papal visit to Iraq. The Pope is scheduled to hold meetings with political and religious officials in Iraq.

On Friday, Pope Francis will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and President Barham Salih. He will then meet clerics and other officials at two Baghdad churches.

"I am delighted to be able to travel again. This is a symbolic journey and it is a duty to a land that has been martyred for many years", Pope Francis said on board the plane carrying him.

This historic visit was almost canceled, along with the spike in coronavirus cases in Iraq in recent weeks. Not only that, the rocket attacks that occur several times in the near future also increase the risk. However, the Pope continued his planned visits, including meeting with the ancient Christian community.

"For some time I have wanted to meet people who are suffering terribly. The Iraqi people are waiting for us. They are waiting for St. Pope John Paul II, who is not allowed to come", he said last Wednesday, referring to Pope John Paul II's cancellation of travel back in 2000.

"The people cannot be disappointed for the second time. Let's pray that this trip can be carried out well", he continued.

Pope Francis. (Wikimedia Commons / Zebra48bo)

An important part of the Pope's itinerary is Saturday's visit to Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a widely respected Shia cleric. Sistani will receive the Pope at his residence in the holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad.

The papal meeting with 90-year-old Sistani - rarely seen in public - can be seen as one of the most important summits between a Pope and a prominent Shia Muslim figure.

Pope Francis has met with prominent Sunni cleric Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb on several occasions, who famously co-signed a 2019 document promising "human brotherhood" between world religions.

The meeting with Sistani is expected by some to be a component of Shia Muslims in the Pope's efforts to improve interfaith relations.

The pope is also scheduled to visit several areas of Iraq and Bible-related cities, such as the plain of Ur, which is considered the birthplace of Abraham.

He is believed to have long wanted to go to Iraq, which is very important in the Bible, and his dwindling Christian minority has suffered greatly from the country's long cycle of violence.

Considered one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, prior to the 2003 US invasion, there were 1.5 million Christians in Iraq. About 80 percent of them have fled, according to leading Christian clerics there.

The Christian minority, which has been the target of repeated attacks by extremists, said they hoped the papal visit would underscore the neglect they felt they had suffered from Iraqi authorities.

Not only a minority, but the majority of Muslims also hope that the Pope's arrival will bring change and goodness for Iraq. They complained loudly about the corruption and mismanagement of the government, also pinning their hopes on the Pope's trip this time.

"The state needs service, security, and peace. (The Pope) cannot provide us with these things, but we ask him to call on the leadership and parties for these things", hopes Muslim resident named Mohammed Jassem

"We ask him to unite the country. The country needs unity and we hope he can bring us this".