Less than a month until Pope Francis visits Iraq
In early March, Pope Francis will visit Iraq. For Iraq’s Christians this a very special event. Iraqi Christians are still recovering from the brutal occupation by ISIS. A Papal visit is always a special event, but for Iraq’s Christians this visit is one of special hope.
By ACN Staff
Our Lady of Salvation Syriac Catholic Cathedral, Baghdad. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need/Bartek Zytkowiak)
In less than a month, between the 5th-8th March, Pope Francis will visit Iraq. A Papal visit to any country would be very important to the local Catholic and Christian population, but it is especially important to Iraq’s Christians. This is a Papal visit of hope. Pope Francis, like Pope Benedict XVI before him, has paid special attention to the Middle Eastern Church, as our Christian brothers and sisters in countries like Iraq have faced unprecedented levels of persecution in recent decades.
Young Catholics at Holy Mass, St. Joseph's Latin Catholic Cathedral, Bagdad. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need/Bartek Zytkowiak)
Iraqi Christians are still recovering from the invasion and occupation of their homes by ISIS. In August 2014, the Islamist group invaded and occupied Mosul. Mosul had been the major city in Iraq with the most substantial Christian population. Shortly after occupying the city, ISIS issued a letter to the Christians in Mosul, demanding that they either convert to Islam or pay protection money. Within a few days all the Christians in Mosul had fled to Iraqi Kurdistan. The churches were looted and destroyed by the Islamists. Most of the homes of the Christians were badly damaged or destroyed in the fierce fighting to take Mosul back off ISIS.
Pope Francis has long wanted to visit Iraq. In 2019, Pope Francis was recorded saying to the Reunion of Aid Agencies to the Oriental Churches (ROACO):
A desecrated holy image in the St Addai Church in Batnaya, Iraq. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
“An insistent thought accompanies me thinking about Iraq, which I wish to visit next year.”
Pope Francis will be visiting Christians in places like Mosul in Iraq. A Papal visit to any country is a significant event for the local Catholic and Christians, but it is especially important for Iraq’s Christians. The visit shows that they are not alone, and the Church will never abandon them. When asked about the visit, Aid to the Church in Need’s head of project, Regina Lynch, said the following:
“The Holy Father's trip to Iraq is such a sign of encouragement, a message of hope to the Iraqi Christians who have been tested on their faith all down the centuries. And you know, when you are a minority, you can feel very alone sometimes. You can feel abandoned, and the fact that Pope Francis is going now in such a difficult time is going to give the Iraqi Christians hope.”
Aid to the Church in Need has been at the fore in recent years in giving help and support to the Iraqi Church. Between 2011-2020, Aid to the Church in Need provided €49.5 million worth of aid to Iraq’s Christians. This aid was partly humanitarian relief and partly reconstruction funds. Aid to the Church in Need prays that Holy Father’s visit to Iraq goes well and that the Iraqi Christians are uplifted. We also invite all benefactors to pray for Iraq’s Christians and for those who persecute them.