Filenews 5 March 2021
The Alitalia aircraft carrying Pope Francis, his associates and personal security, as well as 75 journalists, has already landed in Baghdad. The interest in this visit, after all, is great – not only because it is objectively historic, but also because it is classified as high risk, because of the situation in Iraq.
This, after all, is why the country's military, police and secret services have been put on high alert. Only last Wednesday, after all, ten rockets hit a military base that is home to Americans and Iraqis, and attacks on the so-called "Green Zone" have multiplied, despite being considered the most well-guarded area of the capital and the whole country.
"I'm glad I can travel again," said the 84-year-old Pontiff, who has not crossed Italy's border since November 2019 -- mainly because of the pandemic. "This is an iconic journey and it is my duty to a country that has witnessed for so many years," he added.
Meetings with Shiites and Christians
It is noted that during his four-day stay in Iraq, Francis is expected to visit three other cities, except Baghdad: One of them is Mosul, in the north of the country, which was a stronghold of the Islamic State, and in many of its buildings there are still signs of fierce conflict.
For his meeting with Iraq's supreme Shiite religious leader, 90-year-old Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the head of the Catholic Church will travel to Ur, birthplace of the prophet Abraham, claimed by Christians, Muslims and Jews. Finally, the Pope will also be in the shiite sanctuary (which make up 60% of the country's population) city of Nthaf.
Certainly, in addition to the other messages the Pope will seek to send, his aim is to offer a helping hand to Iraq's Christian minority, which has been hit hard by the war and is literally in danger of extinction. It is typical that, after the persecution of Isis, it is estimated that it no longer numbers more than a fifth of the 1.5 million it once had.
Source: news.in.gr
