Visit of Pope Francis to Iraq (2021)

Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic church, was the first pontiff to visit Iraq. During a four-day pilgrimage from March 5 to 8, 2021, he traveled to Baghdad, Najaf, Ur, Mosul, Qaraqosh, and Erbil. The Iraq visit followed the signing of the Document on “Human Fraternity for world peace and living together” by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed Al Tayeb in the United Arab Emirate in February 2019. During his visit to Iraq, Pope Francis highlighted the historical and contextual importance of the Abrahamic Covenant while exploring potential commonalities and differences among the monotheistic religions. 

Historically, Iraq has a uniquely rich Aramaic, or Syriac, Christian history, with additional Armenian, Coptic and Protestant minorities. Since 2003, Iraqi Christians have been under constant threats by terrorist groups. After the official reception by former President Barham Salih, the Pope visited the Sayidat Al Najat Cathedral. Back in 2010, 48 Syriac Catholics were assaulted by a commando of six jihadis from Al Qaeda during a mass in the church. He visited the Church of the Holy Spirit and Al Taherah in Nineveh, which were bombed during 2014 and 2017 ISIL occupation and spoke about peace. 

For many Iraqis, the meeting between Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani was the most significant part of his visit. Sistani, a respected Shiite leader, is widely admired across religious communities for his advocacy for Sunni, Shia, and Christian rights. After their meeting, Pope Francis travelled to the ancient city of Ur, believed to be the birthplace of Prophet Abraham, a shared figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There, he led a prayer for peace, emphasising that true religion rejects violence and promotes unity across the Middle East.

The Pope’s Iraqi pilgrimage also led him to Mosul, a city where the majority of Iraqi Christians lived, or had lived before the occupation of ISIL. The pope prayed in Hosh al-Bieeya (Church Square), which holds the ruins of four churches that were destroyed by ISIL. The extremist organisation destroyed more than 30 churches in and around Mosul. The pope promised to support the reconstruction of Mosul and stated: “Whatever our religious tradition, live in harmony and peace, conscious that in the eyes of God, we are all brothers and sisters.” Pope Francis ended his trip by holding a mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil with almost 20,000 worshippers present.

The visit of the pope coincided with the 100th anniversary of the foundation of Iraq. He was following an invitation of the government of Iraq and the Chaldean Catholic Church of Iraq. The Iraqi Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities received 1,000 journalists from various parts of the world to cover the visit. Following the pontiff’s visit, former Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi declared the day of the meeting between Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, which was the 6 March, as Iraq’s National Day of Coexistence and Tolerance.

This article was written by Hella Mewis and is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.