Pope Francis begins historic four-day tour of Iraq

DW News published this video item, entitled “Pope Francis begins historic four-day tour of Iraq” – below is their description.

Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church, began a historic four-day visit to Iraq on Friday morning, marking the first papal visit to the country. The pope’s schedule will see the 84-year-old cleric crisscross the country.

He landed in Baghdad on Friday and was greeted by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, who said Iraqis were eager to welcome Francis’ “message of peace and tolerance” and called the visit a meeting between the “minaret and the bells.”

The pope’s visit includes church services in the capital, Baghdad, and in a stadium in the northern city of Irbil, a meeting with senior Muslim clerics in the southern city of Najaf, and a helicopter ride to the northern city of Mosul. The idea of interfaith fraternity — “we are all brothers” — is the official slogan for the March 5-8 trip.

Iraq’s church leaders often say they are threatened with “extinction” in the Muslim-majority country and have predicted local Christian communities will go the same way as Iraq’s once-thriving Jewish population. Today, individual accounts suggest that fewer than 10 Jews remain in Baghdad.

DW News YouTube Channel

Got a comment? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. Please note comments are moderated before publication.


About This Source - DW News

DW News is a global English-language news and information channel from German public international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, established in summer 2015.

Recent from DW News:

Congo president sworn in for second term | dw news 1

Congo president sworn in for second term | DW News

Iran Revolutionary Guards reportedly killed in airstrike in Damascus | DW News

US mulls seizing $300 billion in frozen Russian assets for Ukraine | DW News

In This Story: Iraq

Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in Western Asia. The capital and largest city is Baghdad. Iraq is home to diverse ethnic groups including Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrians, Yazidis, Shabakis, Armenians, Mandaeans, Circassians, Sabians and Kawliya. Around 99% of the country’s 38 million citizens are Muslims, with small minorities of Christians, Yarsans, Yezidis and Mandeans also present. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish.

Iraq has a coastline measuring 58 km (36 miles) on the northern Persian Gulf and encompasses the Mesopotamian Alluvial Plain, the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range and the eastern part of the Syrian Desert. Two major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, run south through Iraq and into the Shatt al-Arab near the Persian Gulf. These rivers provide Iraq with significant amounts of fertile land. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, historically known as Mesopotamia, is often referred to as the cradle of civilisation.

Iraq is a federal parliamentary republic consisting of 19 governorates, four of which make up the autonomous Kurdistan Region. Disputes over the sovereignty of Kurdistan Region continue.

Iraq is a founding member of the UN as well as of the Arab League, OIC, Non-Aligned Movement and the IMF.

2 Recent Items: Iraq

Royals in The British Armed Forces

U.S. army loots Syrian wheat, exacerbating ongoing food crisis

Leave a Comment

We don't require your email address, or your name, for anyone to leave a comment. If you do add an email address, you may be notified if there are replies to your comment - we won't use it for any other purpose. Please make respectful comments, which add value, and avoid personal attacks on others. Links are not allowed in comments - 99% of spam comments, attempt to post links. Please describe where people may find additional information - for example "visit the UN website" or "search Google for..." rather than posting a link. Comments failing to adhere to these guidelines will not be published.