The Pope Returns Home After Historic Visit to Iraq...Concludes 3-Night, 4-Day Trip

Enduring 1400km March Amid Terror and COVID Threats
First Visit as Catholic Leader... Emphasizing Coexistence and Harmony

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Pope Francis has concluded his historic 3-night, 4-day visit to Iraq and is reported to have departed for home. As the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope visited Iraq for the first time in 2,000 years, emphasizing coexistence and harmony beyond religion during a grueling schedule covering over 1,400 km within Iraq.

According to foreign media including AFP, on the morning of the 8th (local time), the Pope boarded a special plane bound for Rome at Baghdad International Airport, receiving a farewell greeting from Iraqi President Barham Salih before departing. The day before, as he concluded his final schedule during the Iraq visit, the Pope said, "While I was with you, I heard voices of sorrow and loss as well as voices of hope and consolation," adding, "I will soon return to Rome, but Iraq will always be with me, in my heart."

On the 5th, the Pope became the first in 2,000 years of Catholic history to visit Iraq, undertaking a demanding itinerary visiting six cities within Iraq: Baghdad, Najaf, Ur, Erbil, Mosul, and Bakhdida. It is reported that he traveled over 1,400 km within Iraq. Prior to the visit, safety concerns were raised due to rocket attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq and subsequent U.S. retaliatory strikes, as well as the severe spread of COVID-19 within Iraq, but the Pope did not waver in his determination to visit Iraq.

The Pope’s visit to Iraq is evaluated as focusing on delivering a message of hope to Iraqi Christians who suffered under the oppression of the Sunni extremist terrorist group Islamic State (IS) and emphasizing interreligious harmony. Especially on the second day of the visit, the 6th, at the southern Shiite holy site of Najaf, he met with the highest Shiite leader, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, drawing worldwide attention. Locally, the meeting between the two religious leaders was described as a "groundbreaking moment in modern religious history."

Subsequently, the Pope visited Ur, known as the hometown of Abraham, who is considered a common ancestor by Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, which is analyzed as reflecting his intention to emphasize coexistence and harmony beyond religion. On the final day of the Iraq visit, in northern cities such as Mosul and Bakhdida, he emphasized peace and brotherhood at a church in Mosul destroyed by IS attacks, playing a significant role in encouraging Christians and local residents’ will for reconstruction.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.