Pope Francis visits the Kurdistan Region

Kurdistan 09:35 AM - 2021-03-07

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Pope Francis arrived in the Kurdistan region's capital, Erbil, on Sunday morning as part of his historic visit to Iraq, the first ever papal visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

 

The Pope was received at the Erbil airport by the President of the Kurdistan Region, his deputies, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, a number of ministers in the Kurdistan Regional Government, representatives of the sects, religions, and the various components of the Kurdistan Region.

 

During his visit, the Pope met with officials in the Kurdistan Regional Government, and then he held a Mass in the city of Erbil. He also visited the Ainkawa area (the Christians neighborhood in Erbil), and after that he left to visit the city of Mosul.

 

The world sees this visit as historic as it is the first papal visit to Iraq and the first international visit of Pope Francis out side of the Vatican city since the outbreak of the corona epidemic.

 

Pope Francis' trip to Iraq holds the message of peace and as a "pilgrim of peace" aims to reassure the country's ancient, but dwindling, Christian community and to expand his dialogue with other religions. 

On Saturday, Pope Francis held a historic meeting with Iraq’s top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, making a powerful appeal for coexistence in a country torn by sectarianism and violence.

 

This papal visit to Iraq comes at a time when only a few hundred thousand Christians are left in the country. Following the US-led invasion of 2003, sectarian warfare prompted followers of Iraq’s multiple Christian denominations to flee and attacks by ISIS in 2014 further hit all minority communities. According to data from Erbil’s Chaldean Archbishop Warda, there were more than one million Christians in Iraq before 2003. Fewer than 300,000 remain today.

 

 

 

PUKmedia