Pope Lands in Iraqi Capital for Historic First Visit
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Pope Francis arrived in Iraq on a first visit and is due to deliver speeches in capital Baghdad.
With a message of inter-faith tolerance, Francis will spend four days in Iraq in what is his first foreign trip in more than a year and the first-ever papal pilgrimage to the war-hit nation.
Francis, who wore a facemask during the flight, kept it on as he descended the stairs to the tarmac and was greeted by two masked children in traditional dress.
The Pope will visit the capital city Baghdad, the holy city of Najaf in the south, the ancient birthplace of Abraham at Ur and Mosul in the north, which became the capital of the Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) terrorists in 2014 until its defeat in 2017.
Iraqis have been keen to welcome him, with banners and posters hanging high in central Baghdad, and billboards depicting Francis with the slogan "We are all Brothers" decorating the main thoroughfare.
In a video address before leaving the Vatican, the Pope said: "I have greatly desired to meet you, to see your faces and to visit your country, an ancient and outstanding cradle of civilization.
"I am coming as a pilgrim, as a penitent pilgrim, to implore from the Lord forgiveness and reconciliation after years of war and terrorism, to beg from God the consolation of hearts and the healing of wounds."
In Mosul, which was liberated from the ISIL by the Iraqi Forces in 2017, the Pope will hold a vigil in Hosh al Bieaa (Church Square) where he will pray for the victims of war.
He will then head east to the town of Qaraqosh for a Sunday service of prayer and remembrance at the Immaculate Conception Church.
Before the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, an estimated 1.5 million Christians lived in the country.
Today, only about 200,000 remain, the rest have been driven out by sectarian violence.
Reconciliation between Christians and Muslims is a key message and the Pope will hold inter-religious meetings on Saturday at Ur.
The archaeological site is thought to be the birthplace of Abraham, the patriarch of the three monotheistic faiths - Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Among the most symbolic moments will be a meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani.
The two elderly men - the Pope is 84 and the Grand Ayatollah is 90 - will pray together in the holy city of Najaf. It is thought to be the first ever encounter between a pope and an Iraqi grand ayatollah.