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July 2019
- Iraq’s president, Barham Salih, invited Francis to visit in July 2019, hoping it would help the country heal after years of strife. Francis accepted the invitation and has made it clear that he does not want to disappoint the Iraqi people, especially the country’s suffering Christian population.
www.nytimes.com › 2021/03/04 › world
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- Overview
- The Pope, a saint, and the Islamic world
- Returning home
Members of Iraq’s shrinking Christian community and others draw hope from the first-ever papal tour of the country—despite the pandemic and security concerns.
The last time I visited Qaraqosh in 2016, a predominantly Christian city in northern Iraq, it was devoid of life. Iraqi forces and their allies, in their push to reclaim Mosul, had just liberated the city from ISIS fighters. All that remained was graffiti, rubble, and rotting food—everyone, the ISIS militia and the locals before them, had left in a hurry. You could feel what it was like to run for your life.
This past weekend, I again found myself in Qaraqosh while photographing Pope Francis on his historic tour of Iraq. Along the once-empty streets, multicolored balloons bobbed in the breeze. Buildings and walls glistened with fresh coats of white paint. Throngs of followers, waving Iraqi and Vatican flags, flocked to the city to get a glimpse of the pontiff.
“I wish the pope came every year!” joked a fruit seller at a bustling, open-air market.
Since I began reporting from Iraq almost 20 years ago, I have seen the country and its people become deeply scarred by conflict. However, while trailing Francis, I saw a spark of hope and validation I haven’t seen before. It felt like a turning point, for people of all faiths, to have a person of his stature come to Iraq—despite the pandemic, despite security concerns, despite all these obstacles.
Francis is the first sitting pope to visit Iraq, but not for lack of effort. Both Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI attempted to visit, but could not due to conflict and war within Iraq. So when Iraq’s President Barham Salih, sent an invitation to Francis in July 2019, he readily accepted. After a 15-month hiatus from international travel due to the pandemic, Francis chose Iraq as his first destination.
I was raised Catholic, although I do not consider myself religious. Still, I knew about Francis and his reputation as a man of the people. As a cleric in Buenos Aires, he was known to ride the subway and mingle with followers in the slums. He once exclaimed, “How I would like a church which is poor and for the poor!” (Will Pope Francis change the Vatican or will the Vatican change him?)
Francis is the first pope to choose St. Francis of Assisi as his namesake, a saint known as a champion of the impoverished and a bridge-builder with the Islamic world. During the fifth crusade in 1219, Francis of Assisi risked his life to meet with Egyptian sultan al-Malik al-Kamil. Both men left the encounter with a deeper appreciation of the other’s beliefs.
Left: Iraqi Christians pray inside the Al Saleeb monastery in Qaraqosh.
Photograph by Moises Saman
Right: Sanvilla Maryam Luai, a six-month-old from Karemlesh, is baptized on March 3, 2021, inside a Syrian Orthodox monastery, the Mar Matta, which dates back to the fourth century.
Photograoh by Moises Saman
Before the pope’s arrival in the country, I spent several days with the Christian community in Qaraqosh and came to recognize that by rebuilding, they were claiming their place in Iraq.
On a small hill on the outskirts of town, I met Mari Salebu, a monk who, after 15 years of living in Lebanon, had returned to repair a small monastery. The one-story building had no electricity and a small chapel with only a handful of chairs, but Salebu is determined to transform it back into a place of worship. He has planted trees nearby in hopes of one day creating a place for Christians to picnic.
Left: Crowds of Christians and non-Christians alike lined the streets of Qaraqosh to see Francis’s motorcade on Sunday, March 7, 2021.
Right: Although Francis was vaccinated in mid-January, many worried that the virus would spread among those who flocked to see him. Iraq is currently experiencing its worst bout of new COVID-19 cases since the country’s previous peak in September.
Left: Pope Francis presides over mass at the Chaldean Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Baghdad on Saturday, March 6, 2021.
Right: Christians gather for a group prayer on the outskirts of Qaraqosh in preparation for the pope's arrival.
Mar 8, 2021 · The Pope Francis visited parts of northern Iraq once held by Islamic State (IS) militants on the third day of his historic trip to the country. Christians were among those targeted by IS...
It was his first apostolic visit since November 2019 as journeys were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic throughout 2020. Pope Francis mentioned he would arrive as a penitent pilgrim and pray for forgiveness after a long period of interreligious conflicts during the civil war in Iraq.
- 5–8 March 2021
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Mar 5, 2021 · Pope Francis has called for an end to violence and extremism, on the first ever papal visit to Iraq. The pontiff is making his first international trip since the start of the coronavirus...
Mar 22, 2021 · Archbishop Gallagher accompanied Pope Francis on his historic visit to Iraq and, some days later, gave a wide-ranging interview to America’s Vatican correspondent. He responded to questions ...
Mar 7, 2021 · The pope, who in 2019 inaugurated a new phase of interfaith dialogue between the Roman Church and Islam, also visited Najaf to meet Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest Shia authority...
