The trip, which is the very first papal visit to Iraq, will also include meetings with the country’s leading political and religious officials.
“For some time now I have wanted to meet people who have suffered so much,” Francis said Wednesday. ” The people of Iraq are waiting for us. They were waiting for Holy Pope John Paul II, who is not allowed to go, “he added, referring to a planned trip in 2000 that was canceled following a breakdown of talks between the Vatican and then-President Saddam Hussein.
‘The people can not be let down for a second time. Let us pray that this journey may be carried out well. ‘
Iraqi officials viewed the visit as an important moment for the country, while privately acknowledging that the timing of the trip was a challenge for the authorities.
Iraq has set a full evening clock for the four-day papal visit in an effort to minimize health and safety risks.
One of the most important parts of the pope’s itinerary is a visit on Saturday to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a widely revered Shia cleric. Sistani will receive the pope at his residence in the holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad.
The papal encounter with the 90-year-old Sistani – who is rarely seen in public – can be seen as one of the most important councils between a pope and a leading Shia Muslim.
Francis has met several times with the leading Sunni cleric Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, and is co-signing a 2019 document promising a ‘human brotherhood’ between world religions.
Some people expect the meeting with Sistani to serve as the Shiite Muslim component of the pope’s efforts to strengthen interfaith relations.
‘I hope the pope stays a month’
The pope is also planning to visit several Iraqi areas and cities linked to the Bible, such as the plain of Ur, which is considered the birthplace of Abraham.
He believes he has long wanted to go to Iraq, which is widely featured in the Bible, and whose dwindling Christian minority has suffered greatly during the long cycles of violence in the country.
There was probably one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, before the American invasion in 2003, and there were 1.5 million Christians in Iraq. About 80% of them have fled since then, according to leading Christian clergy there.
Members of the Christian minority, who have been the target of repeated attacks by extremists, say they hope the papal visit will highlight the neglect they believe the Iraqi authorities endure.
Many of the Muslim majority in the country, who loudly complain about corruption by the government and mismanagement, have also pinned their hopes on travel.
Tens of thousands of Iraqis held months-long street demonstrations, some of which were violently stopped, in the months before the coronavirus pandemic began to spread here.
“The country needs services, security and peace,” said 50-year-old Mohammed Jassem. “[The Pope] we can not give these things, but we ask him to request the leadership and the parties for these things. ‘
“We call on him to unite his ethnicity … the country requires unity and we hope he can bring it to us,” he added.
Iraqi authorities were preparing for the papal visit, clearing streets and paving the way for the Vatican delegation. New street lights illuminate the roads and many incorrect lights that were previously broken are back in use.
The irony is not lost on Iraqis. “The streets of Baghdad got much better within a week,” said 41-year-old shopkeeper Ahmad al-Assadi. “I wish he would stay a month and tour Iraq … maybe they can fix the whole country.”