Cardinal Ayuso: "Human fraternity" includes citizenship rights for all

Pope Francis’s focus on “human fraternity” does not aim simply at promoting tolerance among different religions and ethnic groups but ultimately pushes for a recognition of the full citizenship rights of all minorities, said Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

The pope’s visit to Iraq March 5-8 told the country’s Christian communities that they are “truly part of the life of the universal church” and that within Iraq they should not feel like isolated communities forced to “struggle to survive or flee but are active citizens with the right and obligation to contribute to the development of society,” the cardinal said.

Writing in L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, Ayuso said the pope’s visit to Iraq not only encouraged Catholics in their faith, but demonstrated to all Iraqis that the Christian community exists in their country and that it is possible “to live side by side with believers from other religions.”

Pope Francis’s trip is one “destined to enter pages of the history of all religions and humanity itself,” the cardinal wrote in the newspaper’s March 12 edition.

Cardinal Ayuso accompanied Pope Francis throughout his visit and was one of a handful of people who went with the pope March 6 to meet Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of Shiite Islam’s most authoritative leaders.

Throughout his trip, Pope Francis “reaffirmed the principles of equality among all the ethnic, social and religious components of the country,” an equality “founded on citizenship,” the cardinal said. “On this path, he has been accompanied by al-Sistani, who, in a declaration, wanted to affirm his commitment to working so that ‘Christian citizens can live like all Iraqis in peace and security with all their constitutional rights.'”

In some countries, Christians or other minorities are given a “protected minority” status that allows them to survive in the country but does not guarantee equal rights or equal access to education and jobs, for example.

Fraternal coexistence, Ayuso said, “requires the full recognition of citizenship. Full citizenship is a basic element for preserving one’s identity.”

At the root of the idea of “human fraternity” and interreligious dialogue, he said, is: “God is the creator of everything and everyone, so we are members of one family, and we must recognize that.”

Recognizing all people as children of the one God, the cardinal said, moves relationships beyond “mere tolerance to fraternal coexistence, recognizing the diversity that exists among us, neutralizing violence and living as brothers and sisters.”

Furthermore, he said, it calls on members of different religions and, especially, religious leaders to cooperate and collaborate to ensure that everyone enjoys equal rights everywhere.

“We are all members of the one human family and as such we have equal rights and responsibilities as citizens of this world,” Cardinal Ayuso said. “At the basis of our collaboration and dialogue are the common roots of our humanity, so we do not start from scratch in dialogue.”

Obviously, he said, the search for peace is a key component of interreligious dialogue and the promotion of human fraternity.

When members of different religions meet, speak to each other, get to know each other and recognize each other as brothers and sisters, “they make themselves peacemakers wherever they operate,” the cardinal said.

PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE RETURN FLIGHT TO ROME

Matteo Bruni:

Good day, Your Holiness. Good day to all of you. Thank you for this extraordinary journey that touched the history of this country, many places and also the heart of many Iraqis and so many who were able to follow these days, also thanks to the work of our journalist colleagues. Here we also have Msgr Dieudonné Datonou, who worked to bring about this journey … “the new sheriff”! We thank him for his work, realizing that he was able to count on the experience of the Secretary of State’s travel office and also on the experience of so many sectors of the Holy See involved in the organization of the journey. And now, if you wish, a word of greeting and then a few questions from the journalists regarding these days.

Pope Francis:

First of all, thank you for your work and your company … and for your exhaustion!

Today is Women’s Day: my compliments to the women. Women’s day…. We used to say: why is there no celebration of men…? In the meeting with the wife of the President [of the Republic of Iraq], I said: “Because we men are always celebrating!” We need a celebration of women. The President’s wife spoke well of women; she told me beautiful things today: the strength that women have in carrying on life, history, family… so many things.

Then, my congratulations to everyone!

Thirdly, today is the birthday of the COPE journalist, not the other day! Best wishes! We will have to celebrate it…. we will see how…. The floor is now yours.

Matteo Bruni:

The first question, Holy Father, comes precisely from the Arab world, from Imad Atrach, a journalist for Sky News Arabia.

Imad Abdul Karim Atrach (Sky News Arabia):

Your Holiness, two years ago in Abu Dhabi there was the meeting with Imam al-Tayyeb of al-Azhar and the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity. Three days ago you met with Al-Sistani: can something similar be considered with the Shiite sect of Islam? Then a second thing: Lebanon. Saint John Paul II said it is more than a country: it is a message. Sadly, as a Lebanese, I can tell you that this message is disappearing. Can we envisage a future, imminent visit to Lebanon? Thank you.

Pope Francis:

The Abu Dhabi document of 4 February [2019] was prepared with the Grand Imam in secrecy, over six months, praying, reflecting, correcting the text. It was, I will say – it is somewhat presumptuous, take it as a presumption – a first step toward what you are asking me. We could say that this [with Al-Sistani] would be the second. And there will be others. The path of fraternity is important. Then, as to the two documents: that of Abu Dhabi left me with a strong sense of the need for fraternity, and [the Encyclical] Fratelli Tutti resulted. Both documents should be studied because they go in the same direction, they seek … fraternity. Ayatollah Al-Sistani said something that I am trying to remember properly: men are either brothers through religion or equal through creation. Fraternity is equality, but equality is the bottom line. I think that it is also a cultural process. We Christians can think of the Thirty Years War, about the Eve of Saint Bartholomew, for example. We think of this, and how our mentality has changed. Because our faith makes us realize that this is what the revelation of Jesus is, love and charity lead us to this. But how many centuries it took to accomplish it!

This is something important, human fraternity – how as men and women we are all brothers and sisters – and we need to make progress with the other religions. The Second Vatican Council took a major step with this; then the institutions, the Council for Christian Unity and the Council for Interreligious Dialogue; hence Cardinal Ayuso is with us today. You are human; you are a child of God; you are my brother or sister, full stop. This would be the biggest step to take and frequently we have to risk taking it. You know that there are criticisms in this regard: that the Pope is not courageous; he is reckless, acting against Catholic doctrine, that he is one step from heresy…. There are risks. But these decisions are always made in prayer, in dialogue, asking advice, in reflection. They are not a whim, and they follow in the line of what the Council taught. This is my answer to your first question.

The second: Lebanon is a message. Lebanon is suffering. Lebanon is about more than maintaining an equilibrium. It has the weakness of differences, some of which are still not reconciled.  But it has the strength of great reconciled people, like the strength of cedars. Patriarch Raï had asked me to make a stop in Beirut on this journey, but it seemed too little to me. A crumb in the face of a problem, a country that suffers as Lebanon does. I wrote him a letter. I promised to make a journey. But at this time Lebanon is in crisis, but in crisis – here I wish not to offend – in a crisis of life. Lebanon is very generous, in welcoming refugees…. This is a second journey.

Matteo Bruni:

Thank you, Your Holiness. The second question comes from Johannes Neudecker, from the German news agency, DPA:

Johannes Claus Neudecker (German news agency, DPA):

Thank you, Holy Father. My question is also on the meeting with Al-Sistani. To what extent was the meeting with Al-Sistani also a message to Iran’s religious leaders?

Pope Francis:

I think it was a universal message. I felt the duty, on this pilgrimage of faith and penance, to go to find a great and wise man, a man of God. And we see this just by listening to him. As for messages, I would say: the message is for everyone; it is a message for everyone. He is a person who has that wisdom… and also prudence. He said to me: “For ten years” – I think he said it this way – “I have not received people who come to visit me with other aims, political and cultural, no. Only religious”. And he was very respectful, very respectful in the meeting, and I felt honored. Even in his greeting: he never stands up, and he stood up, to greet me, twice. He is a humble and wise man. This meeting did me good. It is a light. These wise men are everywhere, because the wisdom of God has been spread throughout the world. The same thing is true with the saints, not only those who are canonized, but the everyday saints, those whom I call “the saints next door”, saints – both men and women – who live their faith, whatever it may be, with consistency, who live human values with consistency, fraternity with consistency. I think we have to discover these people, to make them known, because there are so many of them… When there are scandals, also in the Church, so many of them and this does not help…. Then let us make known all those people who are seeking the path of fraternity, the saints next door; we will find members of our family, certainly: some grandfathers, some grandmothers…. Certainly!

Matteo Bruni:

The third question comes precisely from Eva Maria Fernández Huescar, from COPE, to whom we offer our best wishes again.

Eva Maria Fernández Huescar (Cadena Cope 31H):

Holy Father, how wonderful to resume press conferences! It is so beautiful!

These days, your journey in Iraq has had enormous repercussions throughout the world. Do you think this might be the journey of your Pontificate? It has also been said that it was the riskiest.  Were you afraid, at some point of the journey? And now that we have resumed the journeys and you are about to complete the eighth year of your Pontificate, are you still thinking that it will be short? And then, the big longstanding question, Holy Father, the big question: will you ever return to Argentina? And while we are on the topic, because I am Spanish: will there ever come a day in which the Pope will go to Spain? Thank you, Holy Father!

Pope Francis:

Thank you, Eva. I made you celebrate your birthday twice: one in advance, and another late!

I will start with the last one, which is an understandable question… because that book written by my journalist friend, Nelson Castro, a physician. He had written a book on the illnesses of presidents and I once told him [when I was] already in Rome: you should write one about the illnesses of Popes, because it would be interesting to know about the illness of Popes, at least some of recent times. He began to do it; he interviewed me; the book has been published. They tell me it is good; I have not seen it. He asked me a question: “If you resign – if I die or if I resign – if you resign, will you return to Argentina or will you stay here?” – “I will not return to Argentina” – I said – “but will remain here, in my diocese”. But about the question of whether I will go to Argentina or why I don’t go there – I always answer a bit ironically: I spent 76 years in Argentina, that’s enough, isn’t it?

But there is another thing that, for a reason I don’t understand, is never said: a trip to Argentina had been planned in November of 2017. The preparations had begun: [plans were being made for] Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. But at that time – it would have been for the end of November –Chile was in the midst of election campaigns; in those days, in December, Michelle Bachelet’s successor was elected, and I would have had to go before the government changed; I could not go afterwards. But to go to Chile in January and then in January to Argentina and Uruguay was not possible, because January is like our August, July—August, for those two countries. Thinking the matter over, the suggestion was made: why not go to Peru? Because Peru had been passed over in my journey to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay; it had not been included. Hence the idea of a January trip to Chile and Peru. I want to say this, to put a stop to the fantasies of “patriaphobia”. When the opportunity arises, we will have to do so, because there is Argentina, Uruguay and the south of Brazil, which is a great cultural mix.

Moreover, about the journeys: to make a decision about the journeys, I listen; there are many invitations. I listen to the recommendations of my advisors, but also of the people. Sometimes someone will come and I ask, What do you think, should I go to that place? It is good for me to listen, this helps me make decisions later on. I listen to advisors and in the end I pray, I pray, I reflect a lot; I reflected a great deal on some journeys. And then the decision comes from within: do it! Almost spontaneously, but like a fruit that has ripened. It is a long process. Some journeys are more difficult, others are easier.

My decision about this journey came early on: the first invitation came from the previous Iraqi Ambassador, who was a pediatric physician: she was good; she didn’t give up. Then the Ambassador to Italy came; she is a fighter. Then the new Ambassador to the to the Vatican came, and he fought [for the journey]. Earlier, the President had come. All these things had remained within. But there was something before too, that I would like to mention. One of you gave me the Spanish edition of The Last Girl [by Nadia Mourad]. I read it in Italian. Then she gave it to Elisabetta Piqué to read. Have you read it? More or less…. It is the story of the Yazidi. And in it Nadia Mourad describes something terrifying, terrifying. I recommend you read it. At certain points, since it is biographical, it might seem rather depressing, but for me this was the real reason behind my decision. That book affected me…. And when I heard Nadia, who came here to tell me about things…. Terrible! Then, with the book, all these things together, led to the decision, thinking about all of them, all those problems,… In the end, the decision came and I made it.

Then too, in the eighth year of the Pontificate, I don’t know if the journeys will slacken or not; I will only confess that on this trip I was more tired than on the others. Being 84 takes its toll! It has its effects…. But we shall see. Next [in September] I will go to Hungary for the final Mass of the International Eucharistic Congress. It is not a visit to the country, but for that Mass. But Budapest is a two-hour drive from Bratislava: why not pay a visit to the Slovaks? I don’t know…. And so things begin….

Aaron Patrick Harlan (The Washington Post):

Thank you, Holy Father! This journey obviously had an extraordinary significance for the people who were able to see you, but it involved events that created conditions for the spread of the virus, in particular with regard to unvaccinated people, crowded together, while they were singing. When you considered the trip and what it would entail, were you also worried about the fact that the people who would come to see you could have become sick or even die? Could you explain to us your reflections and your preparations?

Pope Francis:

As I said recently, the journeys “brew up” over time in my conscience, and this is one of the things that I was very concerned about... I thought a great deal, I prayed a lot about this and in the end I made the decision, freely, it came from within. And I said: Let the One who helps me to decide care for the people. And so I made the decision, that way, but after prayer and with an awareness of the risks. All things considered

Matteo Bruni:

Thank you. The next question comes from Philippine De Saint Pierre, M.C. KTO.

Philippine de Saint Pierre (M.C. KTO):

Your Holiness, we saw the courage, the enthusiasm of Iraqi Christians; we also saw the challenges that they have to face, the threat of Islamist violence, the exodus and the [challenge of bearing]witness to their faith in their surroundings. These are the challenges of Christians in the entire region. We spoke of Lebanon, but also Syria, the Holy Land…. Ten years ago a Synod for the Middle East was held, but its development was interrupted by the attack on the Cathedral in Baghdad. Do you think about doing something for the entire Middle East, a regional synod or some other initiative?

Pope Francis:

I am not considering a Synod. Initiatives, yes, I am open to many. But a Synod did not come to me. You have sown the first seed. Let us see. Let us see what happens.

The life of Christians in Iraq is one of hardship, but not only the life of Christians…. I just spoke of the Yazidi…, and other religions that did not submit to the power of Daesh. And this, I don’t know why, but this gave them great strength. There is the problem that you mention, of migration. Yesterday as I returned by car from Qaraqosh to Erbil, [there were] many people, young people, the age is very low. So many young people. Someone asked me: what is the future for these young people? Where will they go? Many will have to leave the country, many. Before departing for the journey, the other day, Friday, 12 Iraqi refugees came to greet me: one had a leg prosthesis because he had fled, under a truck and had had an accident…. So very many have fled. Migration involves a twofold right: the right not to migrate and the right to migrate. These people have neither of the two, because they cannot not migrate; they do not know how to do so. And they cannot migrate because the world has not yet realized that migration is a human right.

An Italian sociologist told me, with reference to Italy’s demographic winter: “Within 40 years we will have to ‘import’ foreigners to work and pay the taxes for our retirement benefits”. You French people have been more clever; you have gone ahead by 10 years with the law in support of the family; your growth level is very large. But migration is seen as an invasion. Yesterday I wanted – because he requested it – to receive, after the Mass, the father of Alan Kurdi, that little boy…. He is a symbol; Alan Kurdi is a symbol. This is why I donated the sculpture to FAO. He is a symbol that speaks of more than simply a child who died in migration: he is a symbol of dead civilizations, of dying civilizations, that cannot survive, a symbol of humanity. Urgent measures are needed to enable people to find work in their own country and not have to migrate. And measures to safeguard the right of migration. It is true that every country should carefully examine its capacity to receive them. Because it is not just about receiving them and then leaving them on the beach; it is about accepting them, supporting them, helping them to advance and integrating them. The integration of migrants is key.

Two anecdotes: in Zaventem, Belgium, the terrorists were Belgian, born in Belgium but Islamic immigrants, ghettoized, not integrated. The other example, when I went to Sweden, the Minister bid me farewell: she was very young and had a distinctive appearance, not typical of Swedes. She was the daughter of a migrant father and a Swedish mother: so well integrated that she became minister! Let us look at these two things; they will make us think. Integration. As for migration, which I believe is the tragedy of the region, I would also like to thank the countries that have been generous, the countries that welcome migrants: Lebanon, Lebanon has been generous to migrants, two million Syrians there, I believe… [a million and a half Syrians, plus 400,000 Palestinians]; Jordan – unfortunately we will not be flying over Jordan – the King is so kind, King Abdulla, he wanted to pay us tribute with airplanes as we passed, I thank him now; Jordan is extremely generous: more than a million and a half migrants. And so many other countries, to mention only two. Thanks to these generous countries! Thank you, thank you so much!

Matteo Bruni:

Thank you, Your Holiness. The next question is in Italian, from journalist Stefania Falasca, of Avvenire.

Stefania Falasca (Avvenire):

In just three days in this country, which is a key country of the Middle East, you have done what world leaders have been talking about for thirty years. You already explained the interesting way your travels have come about, how decisions are made for your journeys, but now, as things stand, and thinking also of the Middle East, could you also consider a journey to Syria? What might be, over the next year, some other places in which your presence is requested?

Pope Francis:

Regarding the Middle East, the only hypothesis, and also the promise, is Lebanon. I have not thought about a journey to Syria; I have not thought about it because the inspiration has not come to me. But I am very close to Syria, war-torn and beloved, as I call it. I remember at the beginning of my Pontificate the afternoon of prayer we celebrated in Saint Peter’s Square, there was the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and we prayed the Rosary… But there were also many Muslims, many Muslims with their rugs, who prayed with us for peace in Syria, to stop the bombing, when there was talk of imminent heaving bombing. I carry Syria in my heart. But as far as a journey is concerned, it has not come to my mind at this time. Thank you.

Matteo Bruni:

The next question comes from Sylwia Wysocka, PAP – Polish Press Agency.

Sylwia Wysocka (PAP - Polska Agencja Prasowa):

Your Holiness, over these twelve very difficult months your own activity has been very limited. Yesterday you had the first direct and very close contact with people in Qaraqosh. How did it feel? My first question. Now, the second. In your opinion, now, given the overall health situation, can the General Audiences resume with people, the faithful, present as they were before?

Pope Francis:

I do feel different when I am away from people in the audiences. I would like to resume the General Audiences as soon as possible. Let us hope that the [right] conditions will permit it; I follow the rules of the authorities on this matter. They are in charge and they have God’s grace to help us with this. Those in charge provide the rules. Whether we like it or not, they are in charge and they have to do so. I have now resumed the Angelus in the Square; with distancing it can be done. There is a proposal for small General Audiences, but I have not decided until it become clear how the situation will develop. But after these months of ‘imprisonment’, because I really felt somewhat imprisoned, for me, this is to live again. To live again because it means touching the Church; touching the holy People of God; touching all peoples. A priest becomes a priest to serve, to be at the service of the People of God, not for careerism, not for money. This morning at Mass there was the [reading of the] healing of Naaman the Syrian, and it said that Naaman wanted to offer gifts after being healed, but the Prophet Elisha refused. The Bible goes on to say: and the servant of the Prophet Elisha, then, when they had left, accommodated the Prophet and ran after Naaman and asked him for the gifts. And God said: “the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you” (cf. 2 Kings 5:1—27).

I am afraid that we, men and women of the Church, especially that we priests, do not have this freely given closeness to the People of God, which is what saves us, and we do as Elisha’s servant did: help them, yes, but then ask for something…. I am afraid of that leprosy. And the only thing that saves us from the leprosy of greed, of pride is the holy People of God. What God said to David: “I took you from the flock; do not forget the flock”. What Paul said to Timothy: “Remember your mother and your grandmother who ‘nursed’ your faith”. In other words, do not lose your closeness to the People of God and become a privileged caste of consecrated people, clerics, any such thing. Contact with the people saves us, helps us; we give the people the Eucharist, preaching, that is our role. But they give us closeness. Let us not forget this affinity with the holy People of God.

You began by asking: what did I encounter in Iraq, in Qaraqosh…? I had not imagined the ruins of Mosul, of Qaraqosh; I had not imagined, truly…. Yes, I had seen pictures, I had read the book, but I was struck, it was striking. And then, what touched me the most is the testimony of a mother in Qaraqosh. The testimony was given by a priest who truly knows poverty, service and penance, and by a woman who lost her son in the first Daesh bombings. She said one word: forgiveness. I was moved. A mother who says: I forgive and I ask forgiveness for them. I was reminded of my journey to Colombia, of that encounter at Villavicencio, where so many people, women especially, mothers and wives, recounted their experience of the murder of their sons and their husbands and said: “I forgive”. But we have forgotten this word; we are experts at insulting; we are great at condemning, myself before anyone; we know this well. But to forgive! To forgive enemies: this is pure Gospel. That is what struck me most in Qaraqosh.

Matteo Bruni:

The last question is from Catherine Laurence Marciano, AFP:

Catherine Laurence Marciano (AFP):

Your Holiness, I wanted to know how you felt in the helicopter when you saw the city of Mosul destroyed and then prayed at the ruins of a church. If I may, seeing it is Women’s Day, I also wanted to ask a small question about women. You supported the women in Qaraqosh with really beautiful words, but what do you think about the fact that a Muslim woman in love cannot marry a Christian man without being repudiated by her family or even worse? The first question was about Mosul. Thank you, Your Holiness.

Pope Francis:

Regarding Mosul I mentioned somewhat en passant what I felt when I halted before the ruined church. I was speechless. It is unbelievable, unbelievable…. Not only this church but also the other churches, even a mosque destroyed. Evidently it was not in agreement with the people…. Our human cruelty is unbelievable. In this moment, I do not want to say the word, it is starting over again. Let us look at Africa! And with our experience in Mosul, these destroyed churches and everything, it creates hostility, war, and the so-called Islamic State is starting to act again. This is a terrible thing, really terrible.

Before moving on to the other question. A question that came to mind in the church was this: Who is selling weapons to these agents of destruction? Because they do not make the weapons at home. Yes, they may make some devices…. But who sells the weapons? Who is responsible? I would at least ask those who sell weapons to have the candour to say: We sell weapons. They do not say it. It is terrible.

Women. Women are more courageous than men, this is true; that is how I feel. But today too women are being demeaned. We go to that extreme: One of you, I don’t know who, you showed me a price list for women…. I could not believe it: if the woman looks this way, she costs this much, it costs… to sell them. Women are being sold; women are being enslaved. Even in the centre of Rome. The fight against trafficking is a daily job. In the Jubilee [of Mercy] I paid a visit to one of the many houses of the Opera di Don Benzi: girls who had been rescued, one with her ear cut because she had not brought in the right [amount of] money, that day; another one, brought from Bratislava in the trunk of a car, a slave, kidnapped. This happens among us, the “civilized”, human trafficking. In these countries, especially in part of Africa, there is mutilation; there is mutilation as a rite that has to be performed. But women are still slaves and we have to fight, fight for the dignity of women. They are the ones who carry history forward; this is no exaggeration: women carry history forward. And that is not just a compliment for today, Women’s Day; it is true. Slavery is like this, the rejection of women…. Think that in a certain place there was a debate about whether the divorce of a wife must be written or just verbal. Not even the right to the deed of divorce! This happens today. But so as not to distance ourselves, let us think of the centre of Rome, of the girls who have been kidnapped and are being exploited. I think I have said enough about this.

Matteo Bruni:

Thank you, Holy Father.

Pope Francis:

I wish you a good end to the journey and I ask you to pray for me, since I need it! Thank you!

Cardinal Ayuso interviewed on Iraq trip

Elise Ann Allen, CruxNow News

Pope Francis’s recent meeting with Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Husaymi al-Sistani while in Iraq earlier this month has been praised by a top papal aide as a further advancement of Catholic-Muslim relations, and a significant step forward for dialogue between the Catholic Church and Shia Islam.

Speaking to Crux, Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso said the “truly important” meeting between Pope Francis and al-Sistani “contributed to the building of this fraternity among Christians and Muslims.”

“For what concerns the relationship between Christianity and Shia Islam, the Najaf meeting is a further step forward for the dialogue of respect and friendship with the Shia community both in Iran and in Iraq,” where both the local Church and the Vatican have long been active, he said.

Head of the Vatican Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Ayuso was part of the pope’s delegation during his historic March 5-8 trip to Iraq, which marked the first time a pope had set foot in the country.

During his visit, Francis made stops in Baghdad, Erbil, Qaraqosh, Mosul, the Plain of Ur, which is traditionally recognized as the birthplace of the biblical figure of Abraham, and Najaf, where he had a lengthy private meeting with al-Sistani, who is widely recognized as Shia Islam’s most influential leader.

In his interview with Crux, Ayuso reflected on the significance of the papal visit to Iraq, both from a personal and diplomatic point of view.

He praised Iraq’s unique blend of religions, cultures, and ethnicities, insisting on the need to strengthen interfaith ties if Iraq, and the Middle East generally, is ever going to achieve peace.

“We are aware of the need to move from mere tolerance to fraternal coexistence,” he said, stressing that this process requires “the full recognition of citizenship” for minorities who are often treated as second-class citizens.

“I hope that all Iraqis who have gathered together around the Holy Father will testify to human fraternity and the importance of interreligious dialogue,” he said.

Please read below for excerpts of Crux’s interview with Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso:

Crux: This trip held monumental significance on a variety of levels. From your perspective as a member of the pontifical delegation, what would you say was the most significant aspect of this visit?

Ayuso: The entire trip to Iraq was significant. Every moment was marked by gestures and words that leave a mark. Pope Francis went to Iraq as a pastor to tell Iraqis: ‘you are all brothers.’ The difficult situation in which that country finds itself made Pope Francis’s initiative very special. We all know that it is a country which today is still not pacified, and which must still recover from decades of war, violence, and destruction.

There is no doubt that I was privileged to have personally participated in the apostolic journey to Iraq, an event that many have defined ‘historic.’ I think that, without any rhetoric, it can be said that Pope Francis’s visit was another milestone in the path of interreligious dialogue.

As a Christian I suffered in seeing with my own eyes the devastation of that country. Everything still speaks of war and of the violence suffered not only by Christians. Participating in the eucharistic celebrations and in the various moments of prayer, I touched with my hand the strength and courage that sustain the Catholic community and the joy and gratitude towards Pope Francis.

Dialogue with Islam was obviously an emblematic aspect of this trip. In your view, what was the significance of the pope’s meeting with Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani, and what impact could it have on relations between Christianity and Shia Islam? Could it help alleviate interreligious tensions in Iraq?

The courtesy visit to Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Husaymi al-Sistani, one of the most symbolic and significant personalities in the Shiite world, was truly important and contributed to the building of this fraternity among Christians and Muslims. Al-Sistani, who has always spoken out in favor of peaceful coexistence inside of Iraq, said that all ethnic groups, religious groups, are part of the country and the Holy Father thanked him for this. Pope Francis said (during the press conference on his return flight): ‘I felt the duty to make this pilgrimage of faith and penance, and to go find a great, wise man, a man of God.’

For what concerns the relationship between Christianity and Shia Islam, the Najaf meeting is a further step forward for the dialogue of respect and friendship with the Shia community both in Iran and in Iraq, in which both the local Church and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, which I preside over, have been involved in for years.

The meeting in Ur, the city from which the patriarch Abraham left, was an opportunity to pray together with believers from other religious traditions, in particular Muslims, in order to rediscover the reasons for coexistence between brothers, so as to rebuild a social fabric beyond factions and ethnicities, and to send a message to the Middle East and to the entire world.

Also, on the Plain of Ur Pope Francis did not speak of a theoretical brotherhood but asked that everyone commit themselves ‘so that God’s dream may come true: that the human family may become hospitable and welcoming toward all of its children, who, looking at the same sky, walk in peace on the same earth.’

The path to take is that of human fraternity. In my opinion, the relationship between interreligious dialogue, human fraternity, and the prospect of peace is practically unavoidable and has become so close that we cannot even imagine these realities separate; that of religions that meet, speak to each other, know each other, recognize each other in a journey of common fraternity. This places each one of them as builders of peace wherever they find themselves working; that peace which needs now more than in the past that the Catholic Church and other religions act together to prevent, and eliminate, anything that can lead to divisions and conflicts.

During the visit to Mosul, Pope Francis said the exodus of Christians from the Middle East does ‘incalculable damage.’ What are some of the consequences of this Christian exodus? What would it mean not only for Iraq, but for the whole Middle East, if this exodus were to continue?

Pope Francis went to Iraq with the solicitude of the pastor who wishes to meet his people, not to defend the Christian community but to encourage them. The visit of the Holy Father was truly a very favorable occasion so that, even if they are a minority in this land, Christians do not feel marginalized, but actually part of the life of the whole universal Church and that they no longer feel like a closed minority fighting for survival or fleeing, but active citizens who have the right and duty to contribute to the development of society.

The Holy Father’s presence on Iraqi land not only encouraged the Catholic community but it also showed the real presence of Christians and the possibility of living side by side with believers of other religions. Pope Francis reaffirmed the principles of equality between all of the social, religious, and ethnic components of the country based on citizenship (in his speech to the diplomatic corps). On the same occasion the President of the Republic of Iraq, Mr. Barham Ahmed Salih Qassim, expressed his commitment to guaranteeing that Iraq becomes a place of harmony and not a place of conflict and rivalry.

We know that the Middle East cannot be understood without Christians, but it is also not possible without interreligious dialogue. I hope that all Iraqis who have gathered together around the Holy Father will testify to human fraternity and the importance of interreligious dialogue.

Iraq is an extremely diverse place with a complicated history where conflict between different religious and ethnic groups is normal. Yet surrounding the pope’s visit, we have seen different steps being taken by the Iraqi government to promote interreligious relations. (I’m thinking specifically of the declaration of Christmas as a national annual holiday and the ratification of the Yazidi survivor law). In your view, is Iraq ready to become a place of interreligious tolerance? If so, what impact could this have on the region?

Iraq, which is without doubt the richest Arab country from an ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic point of view, constitutes a beautiful mosaic to be carefully reassembled and guarded with care. Legitimate diversities, also from the religious point of view, are a wealth and should not be perceived as a threat.

We are aware of the need to move from mere tolerance to fraternal coexistence, which requires the full recognition of citizenship. Full citizenship is a fundamental element in preserving identity. Pope Francis said: ‘It is essential in this sense to ensure the participation of all political, social, and religious groups and to guarantee the fundamental rights as citizens. No one is considered a second-class citizen.’

I remember that at the of the meeting between Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced in a tweet that March 6 will become a ‘National Day of Tolerance and Coexistence.’

In Iraq, and in the Middle East in general, it is important to regain awareness of the fact that we are citizens and believers and, as such, we must build society by enriching it with the values of our respective religious traditions, passing from respectful diversity to a communion of shared values. Starting from these, we can recreate that coexistence which is not tolerance but the ability to live in diversity.

God is the creator of everything and everyone, therefore we are members of one family, and we must recognize ourselves as such. This is the fundamental criteria that faith offers us to pass from mere tolerance to fraternal coexistence, to interpret the differences that exist among us, to defuse violence, and to live as brothers.

HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER

“Saint Joseph”'s Chaldean Cathedral in Baghdad
 Saturday, 6 March 2021

Today the word of God speaks to us of wisdom, witness and promises.

Wisdom in these lands has been cultivated since ancient times. Indeed the search for wisdom has always attracted men and women. Often, however, those with more means can acquire more knowledge and have greater opportunities, while those who have less are sidelined. Such inequality – which has increased in our time – is unacceptable. The Book of Wisdom surprises us by reversing this perspective. It tells us that “the lowliest may be pardoned in mercy, but the mighty will be mightily tested” (Wis 6:6). In the eyes of the world, those with less are discarded, while those with more are privileged. Not so for God: the more powerful are subjected to rigorous scrutiny, while the least are God’s privileged ones.

Jesus, who is Wisdom in person, completes this reversal in the Gospel, and he does so with his very first sermon, with the Beatitudes. The reversal is total: the poor, those who mourn, the persecuted are all called blessed. How is this possible? For the world, it is the rich, the powerful and the famous who are blessed! It is those with wealth and means who count! But not for God: It is no longer the rich that are great, but the poor in spirit; not those who can impose their will on others, but those who are gentle with all. Not those acclaimed by the crowds, but those who show mercy to their brother and sisters. At this point, we may wonder: if I live as Jesus asks, what do I gain? Don’t I risk letting others lord it over me? Is Jesus’ invitation worthwhile, or a lost cause? That invitation is not worthless, but wise.

Jesus’ invitation is wise because love, which is the heart of the Beatitudes, even if it seems weak in the world’s eyes, in fact always triumphs. On the cross, it proved stronger than sin, in the tomb, it vanquished death. That same love made the martyrs victorious in their trials – and how many martyrs have there been in the last century, more even than in the past! Love is our strength, the source of strength for those of our brothers and sisters who here too have suffered prejudice and indignities, mistreatment and persecutions for the name of Jesus. Yet while the power, the glory and the vanity of the world pass away, love remains. As the Apostle Paul told us: “Love never ends” (1 Cor 13:8). To live a life shaped by the Beatitudes, then, is to make passing things eternal, to bring heaven to earth.

But how do we practice the Beatitudes? They do not ask us to do extraordinary things, feats beyond our abilities. They ask for daily witness. The blessed are those who live meekly, who show mercy wherever they happen to be, who are pure of heart wherever they live. To be blessed, we do not need to become occasional heroes, but to become witnesses day after day. Witness is the way to embody the wisdom of Jesus. That is how the world is changed: not by power and might, but by the Beatitudes. For that is what Jesus did: he lived to the end what he said from the beginning. Everything depends on bearing witness to the love of Jesus, that same charity which Saint Paul magnificently describes in today’s second reading. Let us see how he presents it.

First, Paul says that “love is patient” (v. 4). We were not expecting this adjective. Love seems synonymous with goodness, generosity and good works, yet Paul says that charity is above all patient. The Bible speaks first and foremost of God’s patience. Throughout history, men and women proved constantly unfaithful to the covenant with God, falling into the same old sins. Yet instead of growing weary and walking away, the Lord always remained faithful, forgave and began anew. This patience to begin anew each time is the first quality of love, because love is not irritable, but always starts over again.  Love does not grow weary and despondent, but always presses ahead. It does not get discouraged, but stays creative. Faced with evil, it does not give up or surrender. Those who love do not close in on themselves when things go wrong, but respond to evil with good, mindful of the triumphant wisdom of the cross.  God’s witnesses are like that: not passive or fatalistic, at the mercy of happenings, feelings or immediate events. Instead, they are constantly hopeful, because grounded in the love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (v. 7).

We can ask ourselves: how do we react to situations that are not right? In the face of adversity, there are always two temptations. The first is flight: we can run away, turn our backs, trying to keep aloof from it all. The second is to react with anger, with a show of force. Such was the case of the disciples in Gethsemane: in their bewilderment, many fled and Peter took up the sword.  Yet neither flight nor the sword achieved anything. Jesus, on the other hand, changed history. How? With the humble power of love, with his patient witness.  This is what we are called to do; and this is how God fulfils his promises.

Promises. The wisdom of Jesus, embodied in the Beatitudes, calls for witness and offers the reward contained in the divine promises. For each Beatitude is immediately followed by a promise: those who practise them will possess the kingdom of heaven, they will be comforted, they will be satisfied, they will see God… (cf. Mt 5: 3-12). God’s promises guarantee unrivalled joy and never disappoint. But how are they fulfilled? Through our weaknesses. God makes blessed those who travel the path of their inner poverty to the very end.

This is the way; there is no other. Let us look to the patriarch Abraham. God promised him a great offspring, but he and Sarah are now elderly and childless.  Yet it is precisely in their patient and faithful old age that God works wonders and gives them a son. Let us also look to Moses: God promises that he will free the people from slavery, and to do so he asks Moses to speak to Pharaoh. Even though Moses says he is not good with words, it is through his words that God will fulfil his promise. Let us look to Our Lady, who under the Law could not have a child, yet was called to become a mother. And let us look to Peter: he denies the Lord, yet he is the very one that Jesus calls to strengthen his brethren. Dear brothers and sisters, at times we may feel helpless and useless. We should never give in to this, because God wants to work wonders precisely through our weaknesses.

God loves to do that, and tonight, eight times, he has spoken to us the word ??b’? [blessed], in order to make us realize that, with him, we truly are “blessed”. Of course, we experience trials, and we frequently fall, but let us not forget that, with Jesus, we are blessed. Whatever the world takes from us is nothing compared to the tender and patient love with which the Lord fulfils his promises. Dear sister, dear brother, perhaps when you look at your hands they seem empty, perhaps you feel disheartened and unsatisfied by life. If so, do not be afraid: the Beatitudes are for you. For you who are afflicted, who hunger and thirst for justice, who are persecuted. The Lord promises you that your name is written on his heart, written in heaven!

Today I thank God with you and for you, because here, where wisdom arose in ancient times, so many witnesses have arisen in our own time, often overlooked by the news, yet precious in God’s eyes. Witnesses who, by living the Beatitudes, are helping God to fulfil his promises of peace.

HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER

“Franso Hariri” Stadium in Erbil
 Sunday, 7 March 2021

Saint Paul has told us that “Christ is the power and wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:22-25). Jesus revealed that power and wisdom above all by offering forgiveness and showing mercy. He chose to do so not by displays of strength or by speaking to us from on high, in lengthy and learned discourses. He did so by giving his life on the cross. He revealed his wisdom and power by showing us, to the very end, the faithfulness of the Father’s love; the faithfulness of the God of the covenant, who brought his people forth from slavery and led them on a journey of freedom (cf. Ex 20:1-2).

How easy it is to fall into the trap of thinking that we have to show others that we are powerful or wise, into the trap of fashioning false images of God that can give us security (cf. Ex  20:4-5). Yet the truth is that all of us need the power and wisdom of God revealed by Jesus on the cross. On Calvary, he offered to the Father the wounds by which alone we are healed (cf. 1 Pet 2:24). Here in Iraq, how many of your brothers and sisters, friends and fellow citizens bear the wounds of war and violence, wounds both visible and invisible! The temptation is to react to these and other painful experiences with human power, human wisdom. Instead, Jesus shows us the way of God, the path that he took, the path on which he calls us to follow him.

In the Gospel reading we have just heard (Jn 2:13-25), we see how Jesus drove out from the Temple in Jerusalem the moneychangers and all the buyers and sellers. Why did Jesus do something this forceful and provocative? He did it because the Father sent him to cleanse the temple: not only the Temple of stone, but above all the temple of our heart. Jesus could not tolerate his Father’s house becoming a marketplace (cf. Jn 2:16); neither does he want our hearts to be places of turmoil, disorder and confusion. Our heart must be cleansed, put in order and purified. Of what? Of the falsehoods that stain it, from hypocritical duplicity. All of us have these. They are diseases that harm the heart, soil our lives and make them insincere. We need to be cleansed of the deceptive securities that would barter our faith in God with passing things, with temporary advantages. We need the baneful temptations of power and money to be swept from our hearts and from the Church. To cleanse our hearts, we need to dirty our hands, to feel accountable and not to simply look on as our brothers and sisters are suffering. How do we purify our hearts? By our own efforts, we cannot; we need Jesus. He has the power to conquer our evils, to heal our diseases, to rebuild the temple of our heart.

To show this, and as a sign of his authority, Jesus goes on to say: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (v. 19). Jesus Christ, he alone, can cleanse us of the works of evil. Jesus, who died and rose! Jesus, the Lord! Dear brothers and sisters, God does not let us die in our sins. Even when we turn our backs on him, he never leaves us to our own devices. He seeks us out, runs after us, to call us to repentance and to cleanse us of our sins. “As I live, says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezek 33:11). The Lord wants us to be saved and to become living temples of his love, in fraternity, in service, in mercy.

Jesus not only cleanses us of our sins, but gives us a share in his own power and wisdom. He liberates us from the narrow and divisive notions of family, faith and community that divide, oppose and exclude, so that we can build a Church and a society open to everyone and concerned for our brothers and sisters in greatest need. At the same time, he strengthens us to resist the temptation to seek revenge, which only plunges us into a spiral of endless retaliation. In the power of the Holy Spirit, he sends us forth, not as proselytizers, but as missionary disciples, men and women called to testify to the life-changing power of the Gospel. The risen Lord makes us instruments of God’s mercy and peace, patient and courageous artisans of a new social order. In this way, by the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit, the prophetic words of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians are fulfilled: “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s wisdom is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor 1:25). Christian communities made up of simple and lowly people become a sign of the coming of his kingdom, a kingdom of love, justice and peace.

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (Jn 2:19). Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body, and about the Church as well. The Lord promises us that, by the power of the resurrection, he can raise us, and our communities, from the ruins left by injustice, division and hatred.  That is the promise we celebrate in this Eucharist. With the eyes of faith, we recognize the presence of the crucified and risen Lord in our midst. And we learn to embrace his liberating wisdom, to rest in his wounds, and to find healing and strength to serve the coming of his kingdom in our world. By his wounds, we have been healed (cf. 1 Pet 2:24). In those wounds, dear brothers and sisters, we find the balm of his merciful love. For he, like the Good Samaritan of humanity, wants to anoint every hurt, to heal every painful memory and to inspire a future of peace and fraternity in this land.

The Church in Iraq, by God’s grace, is already doing much to proclaim this wonderful wisdom of the cross by spreading Christ’s mercy and forgiveness, particularly towards those in greatest need. Even amid great poverty and difficulty, many of you have generously offered concrete help and solidarity to the poor and suffering. That is one of the reasons that led me to come as a pilgrim in your midst, to thank you and to confirm you in your faith and witness. Today, I can see at first hand that the Church in Iraq is alive, that Christ is alive and at work in this, his holy and faithful people.

Dear brothers and sisters, I commend you, your families and your communities, to the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary, who was united to her Son in his passion and death, and who shared in the joy of his resurrection. May she intercede for us and lead us to Christ, the power and wisdom of God.

Greeting of His Holiness Pope Francis at the conclusion of Mass in Erbil

I greet with affection His Holiness Mar Gewargis III, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, who resides in this city and honours us with his presence. Thank you, dear Brother! Together with him, I embrace the Christians of the various denominations: so many of them have shed their blood in this land! Yet our martyrs shine together like stars in the same sky! From there they call us to walk together, without hesitation, towards the fullness of unity.

At the conclusion of this celebration, I thank Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda as well as Bishop Nizar Semaan and my other brother Bishops, who worked so hard for this Journey. I am grateful to all of you who prepared and accompanied my visit with prayer and welcomed me so warmly. In a special way, I greet the beloved Kurdish people. I am particularly grateful to the government and the civil authorities for their indispensable contribution, and I thank all those who in various ways cooperated in the organization of the entire Journey in Iraq, the Iraqi authorities – all of them – and the many volunteers. My thanks to all of you!

In my time among you, I have heard voices of sorrow and loss, but also voices of hope and consolation. This was due in large part to that tireless charitable outreach made possible by the religious institutions of every confession, your local Churches and the various charitable organizations assisting the people of this country in the work of rebuilding and social rebirth. In a particular way, I thank the members of ROACO and the agencies they represent.

Now the time draws near for my return to Rome. Yet Iraq will always remain with me, in my heart. I ask all of you, dear brothers and sisters, to work together in unity for a future of peace and prosperity that leaves no one behind and discriminates against no one. I assure you of my prayers for this beloved country. In a particular way, I pray that the members of the various religious communities, together with all men and women of good will, may work together to forge bonds of fraternity and solidarity in the service of the good and of peace salam, salam, salam! Sukrán [Thank you]! May God bless all! May God bless Iraq! Allah ma’akum! [God be with you!]

Pope Francis and Islam: three cornerstones of a magisterium

by Andrea Tornielli, Vatican News

There is a common thread linking three important interventions of Pope Francis regarding interreligious dialogue, and Islam in particular.

It is a magisterium that indicates a road map with three fundamental points of reference: the role of religion in our societies, the criterion of authentic religiosity, and the concrete way to walk as brothers and sisters to build peace. We find them in the speeches that the Pope gave in Azerbaijan in 2016; in Egypt in 2017; and now during his historic trip to Iraq, in the unforgettable meeting in Ur of the Chaldeans, the city of Abraham.

The interlocutors of the first speech were the Azerbaijani Shiites, but also the other religious communities of the country. The second speech was mainly addressed to the Egyptian Sunni Muslims. Finally, the third was addressed to a wider interreligious audience made of a Muslim majority, yet including not only Christians but also representatives of the ancient Mesopotamian religions.

What Pope Francis is proposing and implementing is not an approach that forgets differences and identities in order to equalize all. Instead, it is a call to be faithful to one's own religious identity in order to reject any instrumentalization of religion to foment hatred, division, terrorism, discrimination, and at the same time, to witness in increasingly secularized societies that we need God.

In Baku, before the Sheikh of the Muslims of the Caucasus and representatives of other religious communities in the country, Pope Francis recalled the “great task” of religions: that of "accompanying men and women looking for the meaning of life, helping them to understand that the limited capacities of the human being and the goods of this world must never become absolutes.”

In Cairo, speaking at the International Conference for Peace promoted by the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Al Tayyeb, Pope Francis said that Mount Sinai "reminds us above all that authentic covenants on earth cannot ignore heaven, that human beings cannot attempt to encounter one another in peace by eliminating God from the horizon, nor can they climb the mountain to appropriate God for themselves.” It was a very timely message in the face of what the Pope called a “dangerous paradox,” namely, on the one hand, the tendency to relegate religion only to the private sphere, "as if it were not an essential dimension of the human person and society"; and on the other, the inappropriate confusion between the religious and political spheres.

In Ur, on Saturday, March 6, Francis recalled that if man “excludes God, he ends up worshipping the things of this earth,” inviting him to raise "his eyes to Heaven" and defining as “true religiosity,” that which worships God and loves one's neighbor. In Cairo, the Pope explained that religious leaders are called “to unmask the violence that masquerades as purported sanctity and is based more on the 'absolutizing' of selfishness than on authentic openness to the Absolute” and to “denounce violations of human dignity and human rights, to expose attempts to justify every form of hatred in the name of religion, and to condemn these attempts as idolatrous caricatures of God.”

In Baku, the Pope had highlighted as the task of religions that of helping “to discern the good and put it into practice through deeds, prayer and diligent cultivation of the inner life, they are called to build a culture of encounter and peace, based on patience, understanding, and humble, tangible steps.” In a time of conflict, religions - the Pope said in Azerbaijan - "must be dawns of peace, seeds of rebirth amid the devastation of death, echoes of dialogue resounding unceasingly, paths to encounter and reconciliation reaching even those places where official mediation efforts seem not to have borne fruit.”

In Egypt, he had explained that "no incitement to violence will guarantee peace” and that “In order to prevent conflicts and build peace, it is essential that we spare no effort in eliminating situations of poverty and exploitation where extremism more easily takes root.” These words were also echoed in Ur's speech: "There will be no peace without sharing and acceptance, without a justice that ensures equity and advancement for all, beginning with those most vulnerable. There will be no peace unless peoples extend a hand to other peoples.”

The three papal interventions thus indicate the role that religiosity has today in a world where consumerism and rejection of the sacred prevail, and where there is a tendency to relegate faith to the private sphere. But there is a need, Pope Francis explains, for an authentic religiosity, one that never separates adoration of God from love for our brothers and sisters.

Finally, the Pope indicates a way for religions to contribute to the good of our societies, recalling the need for a commitment to the cause of peace, and to respond to the problems and concrete needs of the least, the poor, the defenseless. It is the proposal to walk side by side, "all brothers", in order to be concrete artisans of peace and justice, beyond differences and respecting respective identities.

An example of this path was cited by Pope Francis when he recalled the help offered by young Muslims to their Christian brothers in defending the churches in Baghdad. Another example was offered by the testimony in Ur of Rafah Hussein Baher, an Iraqi woman of the Sabean-Mandean religion, who, in her testimony, wanted to recall the sacrifice of Najay, a man of Sabean-Mandean religion from Basra, who lost his life to save that of his Muslim neighbor.

VISIT TO THE QARAQOSH COMMUNITY

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS

Church of “Immaculate Conception” in Qaraqosh
Sunday, 7 March 2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!

I am grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to be among you this morning. I have looked forward to this time together. I thank His Beatitude Patriarch Ignace Youssif Younan for his words of welcome, and Mrs Doha Sabah Abdallah and Father Ammar Yako for their testimonies. As I look out at you, I can see the cultural and religious diversity of the people of Qaraqosh, and this shows something of the beauty that this entire region holds out to the future. Your presence here is a reminder that beauty is not monochrome, but shines forth in variety and difference.

At the same time, with great sadness, we look around and see other signs, signs of the destructive power of violence, hatred and war. How much has been torn down! How much needs to be rebuilt! Our gathering here today shows that terrorism and death never have the last word. The last word belongs to God and to his Son, the conqueror of sin and death. Even amid the ravages of terrorism and war, we can see, with the eyes of faith, the triumph of life over death. You have before you the example of your fathers and mothers in faith, who worshipped and praised God in this place. They persevered with unwavering hope along their earthly journey, trusting in God who never disappoints and who constantly sustains us by his grace. The great spiritual legacy they left behind continues to live in you. Embrace this legacy! It is your strength! Now is the time to rebuild and to start afresh, relying on the grace of God, who guides the destinies of all individuals and peoples. You are not alone! The entire Church is close to you, with prayers and concrete charity. And in this region, so many people opened their doors to you in time of need.

Dear friends, this is the time to restore not just buildings but also the bonds of community that unite communities and families, the young and the old together. The prophet Joel says, “Your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions” (cf. Joel 3:1). When the old and the young come together, what happens? The old dream dreams, they dream of a future for the young. And the young can take those dreams and prophecy, make them reality. When old and young come together, we preserve and pass on the gifts that God gives. We look upon our children, knowing that they will inherit not only a land, a culture and a tradition, but also the living fruits of faith that are God’s blessings upon this land. So I encourage you: do not forget who you are and where you come from! Do not forget the bonds that hold you together! Do not forget to preserve your roots!

Surely, there will be moments when faith can waver, when it seems that God does not see or act. This was true for you in the darkest days of the war, and it is true too in these days of global health crisis and great insecurity. At times like these, remember that Jesus is by your side. Do not stop dreaming! Do not give up! Do not lose hope! From heaven the saints are watching over us. Let us pray to them and never tire of begging their intercession. There are also the saints next-door, “who, living in our midst, reflect God’s presence” (Gaudete et Exsultate, 7). This land has many of them, because it is a land of many holy men and women. Let them accompany you to a better future, a future of hope.

One thing that Doha said moved me deeply. She said that forgiveness is needed on the part of those who survived the terrorist attacks. Forgiveness; that is a key word. Forgiveness is necessary to remain in love, to remain Christian. The road to a full recovery may still be long, but I ask you, please, not to grow discouraged. What is needed is the ability to forgive, but also the courage not to give up. I know that this is very difficult. But we believe that God can bring peace to this land. We trust in him and, together with all people of good will, we say “no” to terrorism and the manipulation of religion.

Father Ammar, in recalling all that happened during the terrorist attacks and the war, you thanked the Lord who has always filled you with joy, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. Gratitude is born and grows when we remember God’s gifts and promises. Memory of the past shapes the present and leads us forward to the future.

At all times, let us offer thanks to God for his gracious gifts and ask him to grant his peace, forgiveness and fraternity to this land and its people. Let us pray tirelessly for the conversion of hearts and for the triumph of a culture of life, reconciliation and fraternal love between all men and women, with respect for differences and diverse religious traditions, in the effort to build a future of unity and cooperation between all people of good will. A fraternal love that recognizes “the fundamental values of our common humanity, values in the name of which we can and must cooperate, build and dialogue, pardon and grow” (Fratelli Tutti, 283).

As I arrived on the helicopter, I saw the statue of Mary on this Church of Immaculate Conception. To her I entrusted the rebirth of this city. Our Lady does not only protect us from on high, but comes down to us with a Mother’s love. Her image here has met with mistreatment and disrespect, yet the face of the Mother of God continues to look upon us with love. For that is what mothers do: they console, they comfort and they give life. I would like to say a heartfelt thank-you to all the mothers and women of this country, women of courage who continue to give life, in spite of wrongs and hurts. May women be respected and protected! May they be shown respect and provided with opportunities!

And now, let us pray together to our Mother, invoking her intercession for your needs and future plans. I place all of you under her intercession. And I ask you, please, not to forget to pray for me.

MEETING WITH AUTHORITIES, CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS

Hall of the Presidential Palace in Baghdad
 Friday, 5 March 2021

Mr President,
Members of Government and the Diplomatic Corps,
Distinguished Authorities,
Representatives of Civil Society,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am grateful for the opportunity to make this long-awaited and desired Visit to the Republic of Iraq, and to come to this land, a cradle of civilization closely linked through the Patriarch Abraham and a number of the Prophets to the history of salvation and to the great religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I express my gratitude to His Excellency President Salih for his invitation and for his gracious words of welcome, offered also in the name of the other authorities of the nation and its beloved people. I likewise greet the members of the diplomatic corps and the representatives of civil society.

I greet with affection the bishops and priests, men and women religious and all the faithful of the Catholic Church. I have come as a pilgrim to encourage them in their witness of faith, hope and love in the midst of Iraqi society. I also greet the members of other Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities, the followers of Islam and the representatives of other religious traditions. May God grant that we journey together as brothers and sisters in “the firm conviction that authentic teachings of religions invite us to remain rooted in the values of peace… mutual understanding, human fraternity and harmonious coexistence” (Document on Human Fraternity, Abu Dhabi, 4 February 2019).

My visit is taking place at a time when the world as a whole is trying to emerge from the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected not only the health of countless individuals but has also contributed to a worsening of social and economic conditions already marked by fragility and instability. This crisis calls for concerted efforts by all to take necessary steps, including an equitable distribution of vaccines for everyone. But this is not enough: this crisis is above all a summons to “rethink our styles of life… and the meaning of our existence” (Fratelli Tutti, 33). It has to do with coming out of this time of trial better than we were before, and with shaping a future based more on what unites us than on what divides us.

Over the past several decades, Iraq has suffered the disastrous effects of wars, the scourge of terrorism and sectarian conflicts often grounded in a fundamentalism incapable of accepting the peaceful coexistence of different ethnic and religious groups, different ideas and cultures. All this has brought in its wake death, destruction and ruin, not only materially: the damage is so much deeper if we think of the heartbreak endured by so many individuals and communities, and wounds that will take years to heal. Here, among so many who have suffered, my thoughts turn to the Yazidis, innocent victims of senseless and brutal atrocities, persecuted and killed for their religion, and whose very identity and survival was put at risk. Only if we learn to look beyond our differences and see each other as members of the same human family, will we be able to begin an effective process of rebuilding and leave to future generations a better, more just and more humane world. In this regard, the religious, cultural and ethnic diversity that has been a hallmark of Iraqi society for millennia is a precious resource on which to draw, not an obstacle to be eliminated. Iraq today is called to show everyone, especially in the Middle East, that diversity, instead of giving rise to conflict, should lead to harmonious cooperation in the life of society.

Fraternal coexistence calls for patient and honest dialogue, protected by justice and by respect for law. This task is not easy; it demands hard work and a commitment on the part of all to set aside rivalries and contrapositions and instead to speak with one another from our deepest identity as fellow children of the one God and Creator (cf. SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Declaration Nostra Aetate, 5). On the basis of this principle, the Holy See, in Iraq as elsewhere, tirelessly appeals to competent authorities to grant all religious communities recognition, respect, rights and protection. I appreciate the efforts already being made in this regard, and I join men and women of good will in calling for these efforts to continue for the benefit of the nation.

A society that bears the imprint of fraternal unity is one whose members live in solidarity with one another. “Solidarity helps us to regard others… as our neighbours, companions on our journey” (Message for the 2021 World Day of Peace). It is a virtue that leads us to carry out concrete acts of care and service with particular concern for the vulnerable and those most in need. Here, I think of all those who have lost family members and loved ones, home and livelihood due to violence, persecution or terrorism. I think too of those who continue to struggle for security and the means of personal and economic survival at a time of growing unemployment and poverty. The “consciousness that we are responsible for the fragility of others” (Fratelli Tutti, 115) ought to inspire every effort to create concrete opportunities for progress, not only economically, but also in terms of education and care for our common home. Following a crisis, it is not enough simply to rebuild; we need to rebuild well, so that all can enjoy a dignified life. We never emerge from a crisis the same as we were; we emerge from it either better or worse.

As governmental leaders and diplomats, you are called to foster this spirit of fraternal solidarity. It is necessary, but not sufficient, to combat the scourge of corruption, misuse of power and disregard for law. Also necessary is the promotion of justice and the fostering of honesty, transparency and the strengthening of the institutions responsible in this regard. In this way, stability within society grows and a healthy politics arises, able to offer to all, especially the young of whom there are so many in this country, sure hope for a better future.

Mr President, distinguished authorities, dear friends! I come as a penitent, asking forgiveness of heaven and my brothers and sisters for so much destruction and cruelty. I come as a pilgrim of peace in the name of Christ, the Prince of Peace. How much we have prayed in these years for peace in Iraq! Saint John Paul II spared no initiatives and above all offered his prayers and sufferings for this intention. And God listens, he always listens! It is up to us to listen to him and to walk in his ways. May the clash of arms be silenced! May their spread be curbed, here and everywhere! May partisan interests cease, those outside interests uninterested in the local population. May the voice of builders and peacemakers find a hearing! The voice of the humble, the poor, the ordinary men and women who want to live, work and pray in peace. May there be an end to acts of violence and extremism, factions and intolerance! May room be made for all those citizens who seek to cooperate in building up this country through dialogue and through frank, sincere and constructive discussion. Citizens committed to reconciliation and prepared, for the common good, to set aside their own interests. Iraq has sought in these years to lay the foundations for a democratic society. For this, it is essential to ensure the participation of all political, social and religious groups and to guarantee the fundamental rights of all citizens. May no one be considered a second-class citizen. I encourage the strides made so far on this journey and I trust that they will strengthen tranquility and concord.

The international community also has a role to play in the promotion of peace in this land and in the Middle East as a whole. As we have seen during the lengthy conflict in neighbouring Syria – which began ten years ago these very days! – the challenges facing our world today engage the entire human family. They call for cooperation on a global scale in order to address, among other things, the economic inequalities and regional tensions that threaten the stability of these lands. I thank the countries and international organizations working in Iraq to rebuild and to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees, the internally displaced and those attempting to return home, by making food, water, shelter, health care and hygiene services available throughout the country, together with programmes of reconciliation and peacebuilding. Here I cannot fail to mention the many agencies, including a number of Catholic agencies, that for many years have been committed to helping the people of this country. Meeting the basic needs of so many of our brothers and sisters is an act of charity and justice, and contributes to a lasting peace. It is my prayerful hope that the international community will not withdraw from the Iraqi people the outstretched hand of friendship and constructive engagement, but will continue to act in a spirit of shared responsibility with the local authorities, without imposing political or ideological interests.

Religion, by its very nature, must be at the service of peace and fraternity. The name of God cannot be used “to justify acts of murder, exile, terrorism and oppression” (Document on Human Fraternity, Abu Dhabi, 4 February 2019). On the contrary, God, who created human beings equal in dignity and rights, calls us to spread the values of love, good will and concord. In Iraq too, the Catholic Church desires to be a friend to all and, through interreligious dialogue, to cooperate constructively with other religions in serving the cause of peace. The age-old presence of Christians in this land, and their contributions to the life of the nation, constitute a rich heritage that they wish to continue to place at the service of all. Their participation in public life, as citizens with full rights, freedoms and responsibilities, will testify that a healthy pluralism of religious beliefs, ethnicities and cultures can contribute to the nation’s prosperity and harmony.

Dear friends, I would like to express once again my heartfelt gratitude for all you have done and continue to do in building a society of fraternal union, solidarity and concord. Your service to the common good is a noble one. I ask the Almighty to sustain you in your responsibilities and to guide you in the ways of wisdom, justice and truth. Upon each of you, your families and loved ones, and upon all the Iraqi people, I invoke an abundance of divine blessings. Thank you!

MEETING WITH BISHOPS, PRIESTS, RELIGIOUS, CONSECRATED PERSONS,
 SEMINARIANS, CATECHISTS

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS

Syro-Catholic Cathedral of “Our Lady of Salvation” in Baghdad
 Friday, 5 March 2021

Your Beatitudes, Your Excellencies,
 Dear Priests and Religious Sisters,
 Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I embrace all of you with a father’s affection. I am grateful to the Lord who in his providence has made it possible for us to meet today. I thank His Beatitude Patriarch Ignace Youssif Younan and His Beatitude Cardinal Louis Sako for their words of welcome. We are gathered in this Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation, hallowed by the blood of our brothers and sisters who here paid the ultimate price of their fidelity to the Lord and his Church. May the memory of their sacrifice inspire us to renew our own trust in the power of the cross and its saving message of forgiveness, reconciliation and rebirth. For Christians are called to bear witness to the love of Christ in every time and place. This is the Gospel that must be proclaimed and embodied in this beloved country as well.

As bishops and priests, men and women religious, catechists and lay leaders, all of you share in the joys and sufferings, the hopes and anxieties of Christ’s faithful. The needs of God’s people, and the daunting pastoral challenges that you daily face, have been aggravated in this time of pandemic. What must never be locked down or reduced, however, is our apostolic zeal, drawn in your case from ancient roots, from the unbroken presence of the Church in these lands since earliest times (cf. BENEDICT XVI, Post-Synodal Apostolic ExhortationEcclesia in Medio Oriente, 5). We know how easy it is to be infected by the virus of discouragement that at times seems to spread all around us. Yet the Lord has given us an effective vaccine against that nasty virus. It is the hope born of persevering prayer and daily fidelity to our apostolates. With this vaccine, we can go forth with renewed strength, to share the joy of the Gospel as missionary disciples and living signs of the presence of God’s kingdom of holiness, justice and peace.

How much the world around us needs to hear that message! Let us never forget that Christ is proclaimed above all by the witness of lives transformed by the joy of the Gospel. As we see from the earliest history of the Church in these lands, a living faith in Jesus is “contagious”; it can change the world. The example of the saints shows us that Christian discipleship is “not only something right and true, but also something beautiful, capable of filling life with new splendour and profound joy, even in the midst of great difficulties” (Evangelii Gaudium, 167).

Hardships are part of the daily experience of the Iraqi faithful. In recent decades, you and your fellow citizens have had to deal with the effects of war and persecution, the fragility of basic infrastructures and the ongoing struggle for economic and personal security that has frequently led to internal displacements and the migration of many people, including Christians, to other parts of the world. I thank you, my brother bishops and priests, for remaining close – close! – to your people, supporting them, striving to meet their needs and helping them play their part in working for the common good. The educational and charitable apostolates of your local Churches represent a rich resource for the life of both the ecclesial community and the larger society. I encourage you to persevere in these efforts, in order to ensure that Iraq’s Catholic community, though small like a mustard seed (cf. Mt 13:31-32), continues to enrich the life of society as a whole.

The love of Christ summons us to set aside every kind of self-centredness or competition; it impels us to universal communion and challenges us to form a community of brothers and sisters who accept and care for one another (cf. Fratelli Tutti, 95-96). Here I think of the familiar image of a carpet. The different Churches present in Iraq, each with its age-old historical, liturgical and spiritual patrimony, are like so many individual coloured threads that, woven together, make up a single beautiful carpet, one that displays not only our fraternity but points also to its source. For God himself is the artist who imagined this carpet, patiently wove it and carefully mends it, desiring us ever to remain closely knit as his sons and daughters. May we thus take to heart the admonition of Saint Ignatius of Antioch: “Let nothing exist among you that may divide you… but let there be one prayer, one mind, one hope, in love and in joy” (Ad Magnesios, 6-7: PL 5, 667). How important is this witness of fraternal union in a world all too often fragmented and torn by division! Every effort made to build bridges between ecclesial, parish and diocesan communities and institutions will serve as a prophetic gesture on the part of the Church in Iraq and a fruitful response to Jesus’ prayer that all may be one (cf. Jn 17:21; Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, 37).

Pastors and faithful, priests, religious and catechists share, albeit in distinct ways, in responsibility for advancing the Church’s mission. At times, misunderstandings can arise and we can experience certain tensions; these are the knots that hinder the weaving of fraternity. They are knots we carry within ourselves; after all, we are all sinners. Yet these knots can be untied by grace, by a greater love; they can be loosened by the medicine of forgiveness and by fraternal dialogue, by patiently bearing one another’s burdens (cf. Gal 6:2) and strengthening each other in moments of trial and difficulty.

Here, I would like to say a special word to my brother bishops. I like to think of our episcopal ministry in terms of closeness: our need to remain close to God in prayer, close to the faithful entrusted to our care, and close to our priests. Be particularly close to your priests. Let them not see you as only an administrator or manager, but as true fathers, concerned for their welfare, ready to offer them support and encouragement with an open heart. Accompany them with your prayer, your time, your appreciation for their work and your efforts to guide their growth.  In this way, you will be for your priests a visible sign and model of Jesus, the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep and gives his life for them (cf. Jn 10:14-15).

Dear priests, men and women religious, catechists, seminarians preparing for future ministry: all of you have heard the voice of the Lord in your hearts and like the young Samuel you have answered, “Here I am” (1 Sam 3:4). May that response, which I invite you to renew daily, lead each of you to share the Good News with courage and zeal, living and walking always in the light of the word of God that we have the gift and responsibility to proclaim. We know that our service necessarily has an administrative component, but that does not mean we should spend all our time in meetings or behind a desk. It is important to go out among our flock and offer the gift of our presence and accompaniment to the faithful in our cities and villages. I think especially of those who risk being left behind: the young, the elderly, the sick and the poor. When we serve our neighbours with dedication, as you are doing, in a spirit of compassion, humility, kindness and love, we are really serving Jesus, as he himself told us (cf. Mt 25:40).  And by serving Jesus in others, we discover true joy. Never step back from the holy people of God into which you were born. Remember your mothers and grandmothers, who, as Saint Paul says, raised you in the faith (cf. 2 Tim 1:5). Be pastors, servants of the people, not civil servants. Ever a part of the people of God, never apart, as though you were a privileged class. Do not renounce that noble lineage which is the holy people of God.

Let me mention once more our brothers and sisters who died in the terrorist attack in this Cathedral some ten years ago and whose cause for beatification is underway. Their deaths are a powerful reminder that inciting war, hateful attitudes, violence or the shedding of blood are incompatible with authentic religious teachings (cf. Fratelli Tutti, 285). I also want to remember all the victims of violence and persecution, regardless of the religious group to which they belong. Tomorrow, in Ur, I will meet with the leaders of the religious traditions present in this country, in order to proclaim once again our conviction that religion must serve the cause of peace and unity among all God’s children. This evening I want to thank you for your efforts to be peacemakers, within your communities and with believers of other religious traditions, sowing seeds of reconciliation and fraternal coexistence that can lead to a rebirth of hope for everyone.

Here I think especially of the young. Young people everywhere are a sign of promise and hope, but particularly in this country. Here you have not only priceless archeological treasures, but also inestimable treasure for the future: the young! Young people are your treasure; they need you to care for them, to nurture their dreams, to accompany their growth and to foster their hope. Even though they are young, their patience has already been sorely tried by the conflicts of these years. Yet let us never forget that, together with the elderly, they are the point of the diamond in this country, the richest fruit of the tree. It is up to us to cultivate their growth in goodness and to nurture them with hope.

Brothers and sisters: first through your baptism and confirmation, and later through your ordination or religious profession, you were consecrated to the Lord and sent forth to be missionary disciples in this land so closely linked to the history of salvation. You are part of that history, faithfully bearing witness to God’s never-failing promises as you strive to build a new future. May your witness, matured through adversity and strengthened by the blood of martyrs, be a shining light in Iraq and beyond in order to proclaim the greatness of the Lord and to make the spirit of this people rejoice in God our Saviour (cf. Lk 1:46-47).

Once again I am grateful that we have been able to be together. May Our Lady of Salvation and the Apostle Saint Thomas intercede for you and protect you always. I cordially bless you and your communities. And I ask you, please, to pray for me. Thank you!

INTERRELIGIOUS MEETING

Plain of Ur
 Saturday, 6 March 2021

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS

Dear brothers and sisters,

This blessed place brings us back to our origins, to the sources of God’s work, to the birth of our religions. Here, where Abraham our father lived, we seem to have returned home. It was here that Abraham heard God’s call; it was from here that he set out on a journey that would change history. We are the fruits of that call and that journey. God asked Abraham to raise his eyes to heaven and to count its stars (cf. Gen 15:5). In those stars, he saw the promise of his descendants; he saw us. Today we, Jews, Christians and Muslims, together with our brothers and sisters of other religions, honour our father Abraham by doing as he did: we look up to heaven and we journey on earth.

We look up to heaven. Thousands of years later, as we look up to the same sky, those same stars appear. They illumine the darkest nights because they shine together.  Heaven thus imparts a message of unity: the Almighty above invites us never to separate ourselves from our neighbours. The otherness of God points us towards others, towards our brothers and sisters. Yet if we want to preserve fraternity, we must not lose sight of heaven. May we – the descendants of Abraham and the representatives of different religions – sense that, above all, we have this role: to help our brothers and sisters to raise their eyes and prayers to heaven. We all need this because we are not self-sufficient. Man is not omnipotent; we cannot make it on our own. If we exclude God, we end up worshiping the things of this earth. Worldly goods, which lead so many people to be unconcerned with God and others, are not the reason why we journey on earth. We raise our eyes to heaven in order to raise ourselves from the depths of our vanity; we serve God in order to be set free from enslavement to our egos, because God urges us to love. This is true religiosity: to worship God and to love our neighbour. In today’s world, which often forgets or presents distorted images of the Most High, believers are called to bear witness to his goodness, to show his paternity through our fraternity.

From this place, where faith was born, from the land of our father Abraham, let us affirm that God is merciful and that the greatest blasphemy is to profane his name by hating our brothers and sisters. Hostility, extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart: they are betrayals of religion. We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion; indeed, we are called unambiguously to dispel all misunderstandings. Let us not allow the light of heaven to be overshadowed by the clouds of hatred! Dark clouds of terrorism, war and violence have gathered over this country. All its ethnic and religious communities have suffered. In particular, I would like to mention the Yazidi community, which has mourned the deaths of many men and witnessed thousands of women, girls and children kidnapped, sold as slaves, subjected to physical violence and forced conversions. Today, let us pray for those who have endured these sufferings, for those who are still dispersed and abducted, that they may soon return home. And let us pray that freedom of conscience and freedom of religion will everywhere be recognized and respected; these are fundamental rights, because they make us free to contemplate the heaven for which we were created.

When terrorism invaded the north of this beloved country, it wantonly destroyed part of its magnificent religious heritage, including the churches, monasteries and places of worship of various communities. Yet, even at that dark time, some stars kept shining. I think of the young Muslim volunteers of Mosul, who helped to repair churches and monasteries, building fraternal friendships on the rubble of hatred, and those Christians and Muslims who today are restoring mosques and churches together. Professor Ali Thajeel spoke too of the return of pilgrims to this city. It is important to make pilgrimages to holy places, for it is the most beautiful sign on earth of our yearning for heaven. To love and protect holy places, therefore, is an existential necessity, in memory of our father Abraham, who in various places raised to heaven altars of the Lord (cf. Gen 12:7.8; 13:18; 22:9). May the great Patriarch help us to make our respective sacred places oases of peace and encounter for all! By his fidelity to God, Abraham became a blessing for all peoples (cf. Gen 12:3); may our presence here today, in his footsteps, be a sign of blessing and hope for Iraq, for the Middle East and for the whole world. Heaven has not grown weary of the earth: God loves every people, every one of his daughters and sons! Let us never tire of looking up to heaven, of looking up to those same stars that, in his day, our father Abraham contemplated.

We journey on earth. For Abraham, looking up to heaven, rather than being a distraction, was an incentive to journey on earth, to set out on a path that, through his descendants, would lead to every time and place. It all started from here, with the Lord who brought him forth from Ur (cf. Gen 15:7). His was a journey outwards, one that involved sacrifices. Abraham had to leave his land, home and family. Yet by giving up his own family, he became the father of a family of peoples. Something similar also happens to us: on our own journey, we are called to leave behind those ties and attachments that, by keeping us enclosed in our own groups, prevent us from welcoming God’s boundless love and from seeing others as our brothers and sisters. We need to move beyond ourselves, because we need one another. The pandemic has made us realize that “no one is saved alone” (Fratelli Tutti, 54). Still, the temptation to withdraw from others is never-ending, yet at the same time we know that “the notion of ‘every man for himself’ will rapidly degenerate into a free-for-all that would prove worse than any pandemic” (ibid., 36). Amid the tempests we are currently experiencing, such isolation will not save us. Nor will an arms race or the erection of walls that will only make us all the more distant and aggressive. Nor the idolatry of money, for it closes us in on ourselves and creates chasms of inequality that engulf humanity. Nor can we be saved by consumerism, which numbs the mind and deadens the heart.

The way that heaven points out for our journey is another: the way of peace. It demands, especially amid the tempest, that we row together on the same side. It is shameful that, while all of us have suffered from the crisis of the pandemic, especially here, where conflicts have caused so much suffering, anyone should be concerned simply for his own affairs. There will be no peace without sharing and acceptance, without a justice that ensures equity and advancement for all, beginning with those most vulnerable. There will be no peace unless peoples extend a hand to other peoples. There will be no peace as long as we see others as them and not us. There will be no peace as long as our alliances are against others, for alliances of some against others only increase divisions. Peace does not demand winners or losers, but rather brothers and sisters who, for all the misunderstandings and hurts of the past, are journeying from conflict to unity. Let us ask for this in praying for the whole Middle East. Here I think especially of neighbouring war-torn Syria.

The Patriarch Abraham, who today brings us together in unity, was a prophet of the Most High. An ancient prophecy says that the peoples “shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks” (Is 2:4). This prophecy has not been fulfilled; on the contrary, swords and spears have turned into missiles and bombs. From where, then, can the journey of peace begin? From the decision not to have enemies. Anyone with the courage to look at the stars, anyone who believes in God, has no enemies to fight. He or she has only one enemy to face, an enemy that stands at the door of the heart and knocks to enter. That enemy is hatred. While some try to have enemies more than to be friends, while many seek their own profit at the expense of others, those who look at the stars of the promise, those who follow the ways of God, cannot be against someone, but for everyone. They cannot justify any form of imposition, oppression and abuse of power; they cannot adopt an attitude of belligerence.

Dear friends, is all this possible? Father Abraham, who was able to hope against all hope (cf. Rom 4:18), encourages us. Throughout history, we have frequently pursued goals that are overly worldly and journeyed on our own, but with the help of God, we can change for the better. It is up to us, today’s humanity, especially those of us, believers of all religions, to turn instruments of hatred into instruments of peace. It is up to us to appeal firmly to the leaders of nations to make the increasing proliferation of arms give way to the distribution of food for all. It is up to us to silence mutual accusations in order to make heard the cry of the oppressed and discarded in our world: all too many people lack food, medicine, education, rights and dignity! It is up to us to shed light on the shady maneuvers that revolve around money and to demand that money not end up always and only reinforcing the unbridled luxury of a few. It is up to us preserve our common home from our predatory aims. It is up to us to remind the world that human life has value for what it is and not for what it has. That the lives of the unborn, the elderly, migrants and men and women, whatever the colour of their skin or their nationality, are always sacred and count as much as the lives of everyone else! It is up to us to have the courage to lift up our eyes and look at the stars, the stars that our father Abraham saw, the stars of the promise.

The journey of Abraham was a blessing of peace. Yet it was not easy: he had to face struggles and unforeseen events. We too have a rough journey ahead, but like the great Patriarch, we need to take concrete steps, to set out and seek the face of others, to share memories, gazes and silences, stories and experiences. I was struck by the testimony of Dawood and Hasan, a Christian and a Muslim who, undaunted by the differences between them, studied and worked together. Together they built the future and realized that they are brothers. In order to move forward, we too need to achieve something good and concrete together. This is the way, especially for young people, who must not see their dreams cut short by the conflicts of the past! It is urgent to teach them fraternity, to teach them to look at the stars. This is a real emergency; it will be the most effective vaccine for a future of peace. For you, dear young people, are our present and our future!

Only with others can the wounds of the past be healed. Rafah told us of the heroic example of Najy, from the Sabean Mandean community, who lost his life in an attempt to save the family of his Muslim neighbour. How many people here, amid the silence and indifference of the world, have embarked upon journeys of fraternity! Rafah also told us of the unspeakable sufferings of the war that forced many to abandon home and country in search of a future for their children. Thank you, Rafah, for having shared with us your firm determination to stay here, in the land of your fathers. May those who were unable to do so, and had to flee, find a kindly welcome, befitting those who are vulnerable and suffering.

It was precisely through hospitality, a distinctive feature of these lands, that Abraham was visited by God and given the gift of a son, when it seemed that all hope was past (cf. Gen 18:1-10). Brothers and sisters of different religions, here we find ourselves at home, and from here, together, we wish to commit ourselves to fulfilling God’s dream that the human family may become hospitable and welcoming to all his children; that looking up to the same heaven, it will journey in peace on the same earth.

PRAYER OF THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM

Almighty God, our Creator, you love our human family and every work of your hands:

As children of Abraham, Jews, Christians and Muslims, together with other believers and all persons of good will, we thank you for having given us Abraham, a distinguished son of this noble and beloved country, to be our common father in faith.

We thank you for his example as a man of faith, who obeyed you completely, left behind his family, his tribe and his native land, and set out for a land that he knew not.

We thank you too, for the example of courage, resilience, strength of spirit, generosity and hospitality set for us by our common father in faith.

We thank you in a special way for his heroic faith, shown by his readiness even to sacrifice his son in obedience to your command. We know that this was an extreme test, yet one from which he emerged victorious, since he trusted unreservedly in you, who are merciful and always offer the possibility of beginning anew.

We thank you because, in blessing our father Abraham, you made him a blessing for all peoples.

We ask you, the God of our father Abraham and our God, to grant us a strong faith, a faith that abounds in good works, a faith that opens our hearts to you and to all our brothers and sisters; and a boundless hope capable of discerning in every situation your fidelity to your promises.

Make each of us a witness of your loving care for all, particularly refugees and the displaced, widows and orphans, the poor and the infirm.

Open our hearts to mutual forgiveness and in this way make us instruments of reconciliation, builders of a more just and fraternal society.

Welcome into your abode of peace and light all those who have died, particularly the victims of violence and war.

Assist the authorities in the effort to seek and find the victims of kidnapping and in a special way to protect women and children.

Help us to care for the earth, our common home, which in your goodness and generosity you have given to all of us.

Guide our hands in the work of rebuilding this country, and grant us the strength needed to help those forced to leave behind their homes and lands, enabling them to return in security and dignity, and to embark upon a new, serene and prosperous life. Amen.

PRAYER OF SUFFRAGE FOR THE VICTIMS

Hosh al-Bieaa (Church square) in Mosul
 Sunday, 7 March 2021

THE HOLY FATHER INTRODUCES THE PRAYER

Before we pray in this city of Mosul for all the victims of war, in Iraq and in the entire Middle East, I would like to share with you these thoughts:

If God is the God of life – for so he is – then it is wrong for us to kill our brothers and sisters in his Name.
 If God is the God of peace – for so he is – then it is wrong for us to wage war in his Name.
 If God is the God of love – for so he is – then it is wrong for us to hate our brothers and sisters.

Let us now join in praying for all the victims of war. May Almighty God grant them eternal life and unending peace, and welcome them into his fatherly embrace. Let us pray too for ourselves. May all of us – whatever our religious tradition – live in harmony and peace, conscious that in the eyes of God, we are all brothers and sisters.

PRAYER

Most High God, Lord of all ages, you created the world in love and never cease to shower your blessings upon your creatures. From beyond the sea of suffering and death, from beyond all temptations to violence, injustice and unjust gain, you accompany your sons and daughters with a Father’s tender love.

Yet we men and women, spurning your gifts and absorbed by all-too-worldly concerns have often forgotten your counsels of peace and harmony. We were concerned only with ourselves and our narrow interests. Indifferent to you and to others, we barred the door to peace. What the prophet Jonah heard said of Nineveh was repeated: the wickedness of men rose up to heaven (cf. Jonah 1:2). We did not lift pure hands to heaven (cf. 1 Tim 2:8), but from the earth there arose once more the cry of innocent blood (cf. Gen 4:10). In the Book of Jonah, the inhabitants of Nineveh heeded the words of your prophet and found salvation in repentance. Lord, we now entrust to you the many victims of man’s hatred for man. We too implore your forgiveness and beg the grace of repentance: Kyrie eleison! Kyrie eleison! Kyrie eleison!

(Brief moment of silence)

Lord our God, in this city, we see two signs of the perennial human desire for closeness to you: the Al-Nouri Mosque, with its Al-Hadba minaret, and the Church of Our Lady of the Hour, whose clock for more than a century has reminded passersby that life is short and that time is precious. Teach us to realize that you have entrusted to us your plan of love, peace and reconciliation, and charged us to carry it out in our time, in the brief span of our earthly lives. Make us recognize that only in this way, by putting it into practice immediately, can this city and this country be rebuilt, and hearts torn by grief be healed. Help us not to pass our time in promoting our selfish concerns, whether as individuals or as groups, but in serving your loving plan. And whenever we go astray, grant that we may heed the voice of true men and women of God and repent in due time, lest we be once more overwhelmed by destruction and death.

To you we entrust all those whose span of earthly life was cut short by the violent hand of their brothers and sisters; we also pray to you for those who caused such harm to their brothers and sisters. May they repent, touched by the power of your mercy.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. Amen.

Pope: "Charity, love and fraternity are the way forward"

Charity, love and fraternity are the way forward. This was said by the Pope in conversation with journalists on the flight from Baghdad back to Rome, after the historic four-day trip to Iraq. Francis recounted his impressions of his meeting with Al Sistani, his emotion before the destroyed churches in Mosul and told of his promise to Patriarch Bechara Rai to undertake a trip to Lebanon. At the beginning of the meeting at high altitude, the Pontiff greeted Monsignor Dieunonné Datonou, the new coordinator of papal travels, whom he called "the new sheriff". Then he addressed the journalists as follows: "First of all, thank you for your work, your company, and your tiredness. Today is Women's Day, congratulations to women! In the meeting with the wife of the President of Iraq they were talking about why there is no men's day. I said: because we men are always celebrating! The President's wife talked to me about women, she said beautiful things today, about the strength that women have in carrying forward life, history, family, so many things. And thirdly: yesterday was the birthday of the Cope journalist: best wishes, we must celebrate, we'll see how, here we can."

Your Holiness, two years ago in Abu Dhabi you had a meeting with Imam Al Tayyeb of Al Azhar with the signing of the Declaration on Human Fraternity. Three days ago you met with Al Sistani: is it possible to think of something similar with the Shiite side of Islam? And then a second question about Lebanon: Saint John Paul II said more than a country it is a message. Today, unfortunately, as a Lebanese, I can tell you that this message is disappearing. Is your visit to Lebanon imminent?

The Abu Dhabi document of 4 February was prepared with the Grand Imam in secret, during six months, praying, reflecting and correcting the text. It was - it's a bit presumptuous to say it, take it as a presumption - a first step of what you are asking about. We can say that this would be the second and there will be others. The path of fraternity is important. The Abu Dhabi document left in me the restlessness of fraternity, and then "Fratelli tutti" came out. Both documents should be studied because they go in the same direction, on the path of fraternity. Ayatollah Al Sistani has a phrase that I try to remember well: men are either brothers by religion or equal by creation. In fraternity is equality, but beneath equality we cannot go. I think it is also a cultural journey. Let's think about us Christians, the Thirty Years' War, the night of St. Bartholomew, to give an example. How the mentality changes among us: because our faith makes us discover that this is it, the revelation of Jesus is love and charity and leads us to this: but how many centuries has it taken to implement them! This is important, human fraternity, that as men we are all brothers, and we must move forward with other religions. The Second Vatican Council took a big step in this, and also the institutions after, the Council for Christian Unity and the Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Cardinal Ayuso accompanies us today. You are human, you are a child of God and you are my brother, period! This would be the greatest indication, and so many times you have to risk to take this step. You know that there are some criticisms: that the pope is not courageous, he is an reckless person who is taking steps against Catholic doctrine, that he is one step away from heresy, there are risks. But these decisions are always made in prayer, in dialogue, in asking for advice, in reflection. They are not a whim and also are the line that the Council taught. I come to the second question: Lebanon is a message, Lebanon suffers, Lebanon is more than a balance, it has the weakness of diversities, some still not reconciled, but it has the strength  of the great reconciled people, like the strength of cedars. Patriarch Rai asked me please during this trip to make a stop in Beirut, but it seemed a bit of a crumb.... A crumb before the problems of a country that suffers like Lebanon. I wrote him a letter, I made a promise to make a trip. But Lebanon at this moment is in crisis, but in crisis - I do not want to offend - in crisis of life. Lebanon is so generous in welcoming refugees.

To what extent was the meeting with Al Sistani also a message toward the religious leaders of Iran?

I believe that it was a universal message I felt the duty to make this pilgrimage of faith and penance, and to go and see a great, a wise man, a man of God: only by listening to him do you perceive this. Speaking of messages, I would say that it is a message for everyone, and he is a person who has that wisdom and also prudence. He told me: "For 10 years I have not received people who come to visit me with other political and cultural purposes... only religious ones. And he was very respectful, very respectful in the meeting. I felt honored. Even at the time of greeting, he never gets up... He got up to greet me, twice, a humble and wise man, it did good to my soul this meeting. He is a beacon of light, and these wise men are everywhere because God's wisdom has been scattered all over the world. It is the same with the saints who are not just those on the altars. It happens every day, those I call the the saints next door, men and women who live their faith, whatever it may be, with consistency. Those who live human values with consistency, fraternity with consistency. I think we should discover these people, highlight them, because there are so many examples... When there are scandals even in the Church, so many, and this does not help, but let's show the people who seek the path of fraternity, the saints next door, and we will surely find people from our family, some grandfather, some grandmother.

Your trip had a huge repercussion around the world, do you think it could be "the trip" of the pontificate? It was also said to be the riskiest. Were you afraid at any point during your trip? You are about to complete the eighth year of your pontificate, do you still think it will be short? Finally, the big question: will you return to Argentina?

I’ll start with the last question... that I understand and is related to the book of my journalist friend Nelson Castro, a doctor. He had written a book on the illnesses of the presidents and I once said to him: if you come to Rome, you have to write one on the illness of the Popes, because it will be interesting to know about their illnesses, at least of some of the recent ones. He did an interview with me, and it came out in a book: they tell me it's good, I haven't seen it. He asked me a question, "If you resign will you go back to Argentina or will you stay here?" I said: I will not go back to Argentina, but I will stay here in my diocese. But in that hypothesis, the answer is combined with the question. When will I go to Argentina or why I don't I go there... I always answer a little ironically: I've been 76 years in Argentina, is that enough, no? There is one thing that, I don't know why, is not said: a trip to Argentina was planned in November 2017. It was starting to work out, we were planning on doing Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. It was for the end of November... But then at that time Chile was in an election campaign, in those days in December Michelle Bachelet's successor was elected, and I had to go before she changed the government. So I couldn't go. We had thought of doing it this way: let's go in January to Chile and then Argentina and Uruguay... But it was not possible, because January is like July-August for the two countries. On rethinking it. the suggestion was made: why not associate Peru? Because Peru had been detached from the trip to Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay. It had been left aside. And from there the trip in January 2018 to Chile and Peru was born. But this I want to say so that there are no fantasies of "homeland-phobia": when there is the opportunity it can be done, because there is Argentina, Uruguay, and the south of Brazil. Then regarding journeys: When the decision is made to travel, I listen to the advice of my advisors and sometimes someone comes and I ask: what do you think, should I go to that place? It's good for me to listen, that helps me make decisions later on. I listen to advisors and at the end I pray, I reflect a lot, on some trips I reflect a lot. Then the decision comes from inside, from the gut, almost spontaneously, but like ripe fruit. It's a long journey. Some are more difficult, others are easier. The decision for this trip came from time back, from the ambassador, a pediatrician who represented Iraq: she was very good, she insisted. Then came the ambassador to Italy, she is a woman of struggle. Then came the new ambassador to the Vatican. Before that, the President had come. All these things stayed with me. But there is one thing behind my decision that I would like to mention: one of you gave me the Spanish edition of the book "The Last Girl" by Nadia Mourad. I read it in Italian, it's the story of the Yazidis. And Nadia Mourad tells terrifying things. I recommend you read it, in some places it may seem heavy, but for me this is the underlying reason for my decision. That book worked insideme. Even when I listened to Nadia who came to tell me terrible things... All these things together made the decision, thinking about all the issues, so many. But in the end the decision came and I made it. Then on the eighth year of the pontificate. Should I do this? (the Pope crosses his fingers in a sign of superstition, ed.). I don't know if the trips will come true or not, I just confess that on this trip I got much more tired than on the others. The 84 years do not come alone, it's a consequence... but we'll see. Now I will have to go to Hungary for the final Mass of the International Eucharistic Congress, not a visit to the country, but just for the Mass. But Budapest is a two-hour drive from Bratislava, why not make a visit to Slovakia? That's the way things come...

This trip was extraordinarily meaningful for people who were able to see you, but it was also a chance for the virus to spread, particularly for the people who were huddled together. Are you concerned that they might get sick and die from wanting to see you?

As I mentioned previously, the journeys "cook" over time in my consciousness, and this is one of the things that was empowering to me. I thought a lot, prayed a lot about it, and finally made the decision that truly came from within. And this [pandemic] was one of the things that made me question in my mind, maybe, maybe.... I prayed much and in the end, I took the free decision that came from within. And I said, ‘The one who led me to take that decision, let him take care of the people.’ I made the decision, conscious of the risks.” After everything.

We've seen the courage, the dynamism of Iraqi Christians, we've also seen the challenges they face, the threat of Islamist violence, the exodus and witnessing to the faith in their environment. These are the challenges of Christians throughout the region. We talked about Lebanon, but also Syria, the Holy Land. Ten years ago there was a Synod for the Middle East but its development was interrupted by the attack on Baghdad Cathedral. Are you thinking of doing something for the entire Middle East, a regional synod or any other initiative?

I am not thinking of a Synod, I am open to many initiatives but a Synod has not come to me. You have thrown the first seed, let's see. The life of Christians is troubled, but not only that of Christians, we talked about the Yazidis... And this, I do not know why, gave me a very great strength. There is the issue of migration. Yesterday as we were driving back from Qaraqosh to Erbil, I was seeing a lot of people, young people, the age is very, very low. And the question somebody asked me: what is the future for these young people? Where are they going to go? Many of them will have to leave the country. Before leaving for the trip the other day, Friday, twelve Iraqi refugees came to say goodbye to me: one of them had a prosthetic leg because he had run away from the trucks and had an accident. Migration is a double right: the right not to migrate and the right to migrate. These people have neither, because they can't not migrate, they don't know how. And they cannot migrate because the world has not yet become aware that migration is a human right. Another time an Italian sociologist said to me, talking about the demographic winter in Italy: within forty years we will have to "import" foreigners to work and pay taxes on our pensions. You French have been smarter, you have gone ten years ahead with the law supporting the family, your level of growth is very great.

But migration is experienced as an invasion. Yesterday I wanted to receive after the Mass, because he asked for it, the father of Alan Kurdi, this child, who is a symbol. Alan Kurdi is a symbol: for this reason I gave the sculpture to FAO. It is a symbol that goes beyond that of a child who died in migration, a symbol of civilizations that die, that cannot survive, a symbol of humanity. Urgent measures are needed so that people have work in their own countries and do not have to migrate. And then measures to preserve the right to migrate. It is true that every country must study well the capacity to receive because it is not only the capacity to receive and leave them on the beach. It is to receive them, accompany them, advance them and integrate them. The integration of migrants is the key. Two anecdotes: in Zaventem, Belgium, the terrorists were Belgian, born in Belgium but ghettoized Islamic emigrants, not integrated. The other example, when I went to Sweden, the minister who said farewell to me was very young and had a special physiognomy, not typical of Swedes. She was the daughter of a migrant and a Swede, so integrated that she became a minister. Let's think about these two things, they will make us think a lot: integrate. On migration, which I think is the drama of the region. I would like to thank the generous countries that receive migrants: Lebanon, which has, I think, two million Syrians; Jordan - unfortunately we will not pass over it and the King wanted to pay us a tribute with planes as we passed - is very generous: more than one and a half million migrants. Thanks to these generous countries! Thank you very much!

In three days in this key country of the Middle East you have done what the powerful of the earth have been discussing for thirty years. You have already explained what is the interesting genesis of your travels, how the choices of your travels are born, but now in this contingency, looking at the Middle East, can you consider a trip to Syria? What could be the objectives from here a year of other places where your presence is required?

In the Middle East only the hypothesis, and also the promise, is Lebanon. I haven't thought about a trip to Syria, because the inspiration didn't come to me. But I am so close to the tormented and beloved Syria, as I call it. I remember at the beginning of my pontificate that afternoon of prayer in St. Peter's Square, there was the rosary, the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. And how many Muslims with carpets on the ground were praying with us for peace in Syria, to stop the bombing, at that moment when it was said that there would be a fierce bombing. I carry Syria in my heart. But thinking about a trip, it didn't come to me."

In these days, months, your activity has been very limited. Yesterday you had the first very close direct contact with the people in Qaraqosh: what did you feel? According to you, now with all the current health regime, can the general audiences with people, with faithful, recommence as before?

I feel different when I am away from the people in the audiences. I would like to start the general audiences again as soon as possible. Hopefully the conditions will be right, in this I follow the norms of the authorities. They are in charge and they have the grace of God to help us in this, they are in charge of giving the norms. We like them or we don't like them, they are responsible and they have to do that. Now I have started again with the Angelus in the square, with the distances it can be done. There is the proposal of small General Audiences, but I have not decided until the development of the situation becomes clear. After these months of imprisonment, I really felt a bit imprisoned, this trip was for me to come back to life. To live again because it is touching the Church, touching the holy people of God, touching all peoples. A priest becomes a priest to serve, to serve the people of God, not for careerism, not for the money. This morning in the Mass there was the Biblical Reading about the healing of Naaman the Syrian and it said that Naaman wanted to give gifts after he had been healed. But the prophet Elisha refused them. The Bible continues: the prophet Elisha's assistant, when they had left, settled the prophet well and hurriedly followed Naaman and asked for gifts for him. And God said, "the leprosy that Naaman had will cling to you." I am afraid that we, men and women of the Church, especially we priests, do not have this gratuitous closeness to the people of God who are the ones who save us. And being like Naaman's servant: yes, helping, but then going back for the gifts. Of that leprosy I am afraid. And the only one who saves us from the leprosy of covetousness, of pride is the holy people of God. The one God spoke of with David, "I have taken you out of the flock, do not forget the flock." That of which Paul spoke to Timothy: "Remember your mother and grandmother who nursed you in the faith," that is, do not lose membership in the people of God to become a privileged caste of consecrated, clerics, whatever. Contact with the people saves us, helps us, we give the Eucharist, the preaching, our service. But they give us belonging. Let us not forget this belonging to the people of God. What did I encounter in Iraq, in Qaraqosh? I didn't imagine the ruins of Mosul, I really didn't imagine.... Yes, I may have seen things, I may have read the book, but this touches, it is touching. What touched me the most was the testimony of a mother in Qaraqosh. A priest who truly knows poverty, service, penance, and a woman who lost her son in the first bombings by Isis gave their testimony. She said one word: forgiveness. I was moved. A mother who says: I forgive, I ask forgiveness for them. I was reminded of my trip to Colombia, of that meeting in Villavicencio where so many people, women above all, mothers and brides, told their experience of the murder of their children and husbands. They said, "I forgive, I forgive." We have lost that word, we know how to insult very well, we know how to condemn, me first. But to forgive...to forgive one's enemies, that is pure Gospel. That's what struck me most in Qaraqosh.

I wanted to know how you felt from the helicopter seeing the destroyed city of Mosul and then praying in the ruins of a church. If I may, since it's Women's Day, I wanted to ask a little question about women as well. You supported the women in Qaraqosh with very beautiful words, but what do you think about the fact that a Muslim woman in love cannot marry a Christian without being discarded by her family or worse?

"Of Mosul I said a little "en passant" what I felt. I stopped in front of the destroyed church, I had no words. Unbelievable, unbelievable... Not only that church but other churches, even a destroyed mosque. You can tell [the perpetrators] didn't agree with these people. Unbelievable our human cruelty. Right now, I don't want to say the word, we are starting again: look at Africa. And with our experience of Mosul these churches destroyed and everything, it creates enmity, war, and also the so-called Islamic State is starting to act again. This is bad, very bad. One question that came to my mind in the church was this: who sells the weapons to these destroyers? Why don't they make the weapons at home. Yes, they make some explosive devices... But who sells the weapons? Who is responsible? I would at least ask these gun sellers for the honesty to say: we sell guns. They don't say that. It's ugly. Now women. Women are braver than men, but that has always been the case. But even today women are humiliated, of you showed me the price list for women (prepared by Isis who were buying Christian and Yazidi women, ed). I couldn't believe it: if this is what a woman is like, depending on her age, she costs so much... Women are sold, women are enslaved. Even in the center of Rome, the work against trafficking is an everyday job. During the Jubilee I visited one of the many houses of the Opera Don Benzi. Ransomed girls, one with her ear cut off because she hadn't brought money that day, the other brought from Bratislava in the trunk of a car, a slave, kidnapped. This happens among us, eh! The trafficking of people. In these countries, especially in a part of Africa, there is mutilation as a ritual that must be done. But women are still slaves and we have to fight, struggle, for the dignity of women. They are the ones who carry history forward, this is not an exaggeration, women carry history forward and it is not a compliment because today is Women's Day. Even slavery is like that, the rejection of women... Just think there are places where there is the debate regarding whether repudiation of a wife should be given in writing or only orally. Not even the right to have the act of repudiation! This is happening today, but to keep us from straying, think of wat happens in the center of Rome, of the girls who are kidnapped and are exploited. I think I have said it all on this. I wish you a good end to your journey and I ask you to pray for me.

(non official working transcript and translation)

Higher Committee for Human Fraternity Hails Pope's Iraq Visit

Pope Francis’ historic Apostolic Journey to Iraq is “an important moment for the world a true promotion of the values advocated by the document on human fraternity,” affirmed the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity in a statement.

The Higher Committee noted that during his four-day trip to the Middle Eastern nation, Pope Francis visited a number of Iraqi cities, including Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Mosul. The Pope also attended a meeting for interfaith dialogue in Ur and, in a speech there, emphasized the importance of promoting human fraternity and called on believers to revive the values of human fraternity.

Pope’s visit fosters peace, cultural dialogue

Pope Francis aims to “promote cultural dialogue and a culture of convergence and inclusiveness so that everyone in our society can enjoy peace in his life regardless of his race, culture or religion,” said Cardinal Miguel Ayuso Guixot.

The Cardinal accompanied the Pope on his visit to Iraq, and is President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and a member of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity.

Prof. Mohamed al-Mahrasawi, President of the Al-Azhar University and member of the Higher Committee, said that Pope Francis’ visit provided healing for the wounds of the Iraqi people after years of wars and destruction.

He said it would act as a call for tolerance and convergence on the values of citizenship and coexistence between all Iraqis and all peoples of the region. The professor added tolerance is the best response to the calls for hatred and extremism that took the lives of many and displaced millions of innocent people.

Principles of human fraternity

Praising the results of the papal visit to Iraq, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism, also a member of the Higher Committee, emphasized that the Pope’s keenness to complete the visit reflects his belief in the need to apply the principles of human fraternity.

The visit, he noted, is “a practical application of the fraternity document and an example for what human fraternity can achieve by in the face of calls for division, hatred and extremism.”

For his part, the Secretary-General of the Higher Committee, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, stressed that the Pope’s presence in Iraq brought to light the religious and cultural diversity in Iraq and the region. It also showed how this diversity could be a way for achieving peace and cohesion among communities.

He further highlighted that the visit carried a powerful message that the whole world should support victims of war and extremism and not abandon them under any circumstances.

Judge Abdelsalam also said the Higher Committee will prepare a study on the results of the Pope’s visit, and will depend on it in its future plans and programs, to the benefit of all Iraqis.

'The Church in Iraq is alive': Pope Francis at Mass in Erbil

For more articles and videos of the Pope's visit to Iraq:

News from the Vatican - News about the Church - Vatican News 

“Today, I can see at first hand that the Church in Iraq is alive, and that Christ is alive and at work in this, His holy and faithful people,” Pope Francis said in his Homily during the concluding Mass for his Apostolic Journey to Iraq.

The Holy Father based his homily on a passage from St Paul: “Christ, the power and wisdom of God.” Jesus, he said, “revealed that power and wisdom above all by offering forgiveness and showing mercy.”

Too often, we “fall into the trap of thinking that we have to show others that we are powerful or wise” the Pope said. Suffering from “wounds of war and violence” we are tempted to react “with human power, human wisdom.” “Yet the truth is that all of us need the power and wisdom of God revealed by Jesus on the Cross,” said Pope Francis.

Cleansing the temple of our heart

Turning to Sunday’s Gospel reading, which tells how the Lord drove the moneychangers out of the Temple, Pope Francis said God the Father sent Jesus to cleanse not only the Temple built of stone, “but above all, the temple of our hearts.” Our hearts, he said, must be cleansed “of the falsehoods that stain them, from hypocritical duplicity,” of “deceptive securities”; of “baneful temptations of power and money.”

But we cannot cleanse our hearts by our own effort, the Pope said. Instead, it is “Jesus Christ, He alone, [who] can cleanse us of the works of evil… He has the power to conquer our evils, to heal our diseases, and to rebuild the temple of our heart.”

Signs of Christ’s Kingdom

Pope Francis continued, saying, “Jesus not only cleanses us of our sins, but gives us a share in His own power and wisdom.” Jesus, he said, frees us from “narrow and divisive notions of family, faith and community” to build an inclusive Church and society that cares for our brothers and sisters in need.

At the same time, Jesus “strengthens us to resist the temptation to seek revenge,” and sends us forth, “not as proselytizers, but as missionary disciples, men and women to testify to the life-changing power of the Gospel.”

When He promises to raise up the Temple after three days, the Pope said, Jesus is not talking only of his own bodily Resurrection, “but of the Church as well.” The Lord, he said, “promises us that, by the power of the resurrection, He can raise us, and our communities, from the ruins left by injustice, division, and hatred.”

Jesus, said Pope Francis, “wants to anoint every hurt, to heal every painful memory, and to inspire a future of peace and fraternity in this land.”

Confirming Iraqi Christians in their faith

Turning to the Iraqi Christian community, the Holy Father concluded his homily, saying, “The Church in Iraq, by God’s grace, is already doing much to proclaim this wonderful wisdom of the Cross by spreading Christ’s mercy and forgiveness, particularly towards those in greatest need.”

This, the Pope said, “is one of the reasons that led me to come as a pilgrim in your midst, to thank you and to confirm you in your faith and witness.”

Pope blesses statue of Mary

Due to coronavirus health and safety measures, about 10,000 people were present in Erbil's Franso Hariri Stadium for Sunday's Eucharistic Liturgy, with tens of thousands more following along thanks to the various means of social communication, including radio, television, and the internet. 

At the conclusion of the Eucharistic liturgy, Pope Francis blessed a statue of the Virgin Mary that had been vandalized by Islamic State militants. The head and hands of the statue had been cut off, but the head was later recovered and reattached.

Father Samir Sheer, director of Radio Mariam in Erbil, explained that the statue originally came from the Christian village of Karamles. "After the blessing," he said, "the statue will return to the Nineveh Plain. The hope of local Christians is that Our Lady will soon return to embrace her children in Karamles."

Pope Francis departs on Apostolic Journey to Iraq

The Pope boarded an Alitalia A330 at Fiumicino airport on Friday morning to begin his visit to the Middle Eastern nation of Iraq.

The papal plane took off at 7:45 AM, and is due to land at Baghdad’s International Airport around 2 PM local time. This will be the first time a Pope visits Iraq.

Pre-trip encounter 

Before leaving the Casa Santa Marta on Friday morning, Pope Francis met briefly with around a dozen Iraqi refugees living in Italy. 

The refugees are assisted by the Community of Saint Egidio and the Auxilium Cooperative. There were accompanied by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Papal Almoner, according to Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office. 

Iraqi militia ceasefire 

As the Pope set off, a little-known Shia militia group active in Iraq declared a unilateral, temporary ceasefire to coincide with his visit. The Guardians of Blood Brigade announced in a statement that they would "suspend every form of military operation during the visit of the Pope, in respect of Imam al-Sistani and in the name of Arabic hospitality."

Known in Arabic as "Saraya Awliya al-Dam", the group claimed the 16 February rocket attack on a US-led coalition airbase in Erbil, which killed one military contractor. 

Day 1: Baghdad

Upon arrival in Iraq, Pope Francis will meet privately with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Then, following an official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace, Pope Francis will visit President Barham Salih. The Holy Father's first public event will be with authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps at 3:45 PM in the Presidential Palace.

Afterwards, he will travel to the Syro-Catholic Cathedral of “Our Lady of Salvation” and meet with Bishops, priests, religious persons, seminarians and catechists. 

Day 2: Najaf, Ur, Baghdad

On Saturday, Pope Francis will travel by plane to the cities of Najaf and Ur, before returning to Baghdad.

Due to depart from Baghdad at 7:45 AM, the Pope's first event of the day is a courtesy visit in Najaf to Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani, described as one of the leading spiritual leaders of Iraq’s Shia Muslims.

He will then depart for Nassiryiaat 10:15, in order to lead an interreligious meeting at the Plain of Ur shortly after 11:00.

The Pope will then return to Baghdad, where, at 6:00 PM he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at the Chaldean Cathedral of Saint Joseph.

Day 3: Erbil, Mosul, Qaraqosh

On Sunday, his third day in Iraq, Pope Francis will travel to Erbil, Mosul and Qaraqosh.

He is due to be welcomed upon his arrival in Erbil, at 8:20 AM, by the President of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan and the civil authorities of the region. He will then meet with Nechirvan Barzani and Masrour Barzani, respectively President and Prime Minister of the autonomous region, privately, before departing by helicopter for Mosul.

In Mosul, where he is due to arrive at 9:35 AM, Pope Francis will lead a prayer of suffrage for war victims, at Hosh al-Bieaa (Church square).

He will then travel to Qaraqosh where he will visit the faithful at the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Afterwards, he will return to Erbil, where at 4:00 PM he will celebrate Holy Mass at the "Franso Hariri" stadium. The Pope will then travel back to Baghdad, where he is due to arrive at 7:15 PM.

Day 4: Baghdad, Rome

Finally, on Monday, Pope Francis will depart from Baghdad International Airport at 9:40 AM, following a brief farewell ceremony.

He is expected to arrive at Rome's Ciampino Airport at 12:55 PM.

Pope Francis entrusts Iraq visit to protection of Our Lady

As per his long-established tradition on the eve of trips abroad, Pope Francis traveled across Rome on Thursday afternoon to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

He paused to pray for a moment before the ancient Roman icon of Maria Salus Populi Romani.

According to the Holy See Press Office, the Pope entrusted his upcoming visit to Iraq to Our Lady’s protection.

He is scheduled to depart Rome on Friday morning for his 33rd Apostolic Visit abroad, which takes him to Iraq on 5-8 March.

Devotion to ancient Roman icon

Pope Francis laid a bouquet of flowers on the altar below the ancient image of the “Salvation of the Roman people”, which is housed in the Borghese chapel.

Tradition holds that it arrived in Rome in the year 590 AD, during the reign of Pope Gregory the Great.

Maria Salus Populi Romani has twice received a canonical coronation.

Pope Gregory XVI crowned the image of Our Lady in 1838, and Pope Pius XII repeated the gesture of devotion during the Marian year of 1954.

The Vatican Museums cleaned and restored it in 2018.

Pope Francis asks for prayers for his visit to Iraq

Pope Francis addressed the faithful on Wednesday morning asking them to accompany him with prayers as he sets off for an Apostolic Journey to Iraq.

“The day after tomorrow, God willing, I will go to Iraq for a three-day pilgrimage. For a long time I have wanted to meet those people who have suffered so much; to meet that martyred Church in the land of Abraham,” he said, speaking during the weekly General Audience.

Together with other religious leaders in the country, the Pope continued, he hopes another step forward will be taken “in fraternity amongst believers.”

“I ask you to accompany this apostolic journey with your prayers, so that it may unfold in the best possible way and bear the hoped-for fruits," he said.

The people of Iraq are awaiting us, Pope Francis concluded, recalling that they had hoped for a visit from Pope Saint John Paul II, who was "not permitted to go".

“One cannot disappoint a people for the second time,” he said, reiterating his request for prayers so that the journey may bring good fruits.

Pope St. John Paul II

Pope St. John Paul II had expressed his desire to visit Iraq several months before the start of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.

"If it be God's will, I would like to go to Ur of the Chaldees, the present-day Tell el-Muqayyar in southern Iraq, the city where, according to the biblical account, Abraham heard the word of the Lord," he said at the time.

But the papal trip never took place, and of all countries with a biblical history, Iraq has remained the only nation in the Holy Land not visited by a Pope.

Iraq: faith-based organizations welcome Pope’s visit and message of fraternity

Several faith-based organizations operating in Iraq have issued a joint interreligious statement welcoming Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey to the country which is scheduled from 5 – 8 March.

The Tuesday joint statement, co-signed by 29 organizations – both Catholic and non-Catholic – expressed collective anticipation of the papal visit, joyful that it will bring with it, a message of fraternity and dialogue to the middle eastern nation.

Iraq’s challenges

Recounting the history of Iraq – “the birthplace of Abraham, father of many in faith,” the statement highlights that is a beautiful country of rich cultural and religious diversity within which many ethnic and faith communities have lived side by side for many centuries. However, recent decades have been marked by war, insecurity and the rise of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) which have “deeply strained relations between communities and damaged the country’s social fabric.”

Still yet today, “Iraq still faces daunting challenges,” said the organizations. “Among the 1.2 million Iraqis who continue to be internally displaced and approximately 4.8 million returnees, many are in dire need of help.” All these, coupled with a worsening economic crisis, further exacerbated by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, is “pushing many into poverty and depriving the government of resources need to assist its own people.”

Pope Francis’ message of universal fraternity

The joint statement recalls that in the Holy Father’s latest Encyclical, Fratelli tutti, he writes that religions have a role to play at the service of fraternity in the world. In the same vein, the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity underscores that “faith leads a believer to see in the other a brother or sister to be supported and loved” and believers are called to express fraternity through safeguarding creation and supporting all people, especially the poorest and those most in need.

Inspired by these, the organizations express their support for the “message of fraternity and dialogue that Pope Francis is bringing to Iraq” adding, that they believe “it represents a necessary way forward to heal past wounds and build a future for the country’s diverse communities” as they continue to collaborate with authorities to help communities “reconcile, rebuild peace, and reclaim their collective rights to safety, services and livelihoods.”

At the same time, the organizations reiterated their commitment to continue to serve and empower people without discrimination on the basis of their needs, and respect others’ cultural values and religious convictions while rejecting all forms of sectarianism and proselytism, strengthen. They also promised to strengthen inclusive initiatives and approaches that foster social cohesion, as well as intensify collaboration between themselves in the service of those in need.

Finally, the faith-based organizations urged the international community to “remain engaged in supporting the Iraqi people to overcome their current challenges, in a true spirit of human fraternity and solidarity.”

Cardinal Parolin: Pope Francis’ visit is sign of closeness to the Church in Iraq

Pope Francis’ first papal Apostolic Journey to Iraq is scheduled to begin on Friday, 5 March. During the four-day visit, the Pope will meet with Christian communities as well as civil and religious authorities.

This will be the Holy Father’s first trip abroad in about fifteen months as the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent restrictions on movement have posed a challenge to external travel. It is also the first-ever papal journey to Iraq.

The Apostolic visit begins on Friday morning when the Pope departs from Rome for Baghdad's International Airport. He is slated to visit several cities including Mosul, Qaraqosh and Erbil.

As preparations enter into high gear, Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, released a video message highlighting the significance of this historic visit to the Middle Eastern nation and to its Christian communities.

Sign of closeness to the Church

Speaking to Vatican News, Cardinal Parolin described the Pope’s visit as a sign of his “closeness to the Catholic Church” in the country and to its dwindling Christian communities.

“We know that the Church has suffered a lot,” Cardinal Parolin said. “It has lost many Christians who have left Iraq for other countries.”

The Church, therefore, needs the presence of the Holy Father “to be encouraged and to continue her mission of witnessing Jesus Christ and the Gospel in the difficult situation in which she finds herself,” he said.

The presence of Christians in Iraq has significantly diminished in the past two decades. In 2003, before the deposal of Saddam Hussein, there were approximately 1.4 million Christians in the country. However, thousands of Christians were killed and many others fled for their lives in the face of violence and persecution under the 2014 – 2017 occupation of the Plain of Nineveh by the so-called Islamic State.

Boosting reconstructive efforts

Another positive dimension to the Pope’s visit, according to the Cardinal, is to “boost the efforts which have already started to reconstruct the country.

These efforts, he said, are carried out on many fronts, and include fighting corruption and sectarianism, and ensuring that everyone is treated equally – "giving to everyone their deserved places in the fabric of society notwithstanding their religious belonging or class."

Interreligious dialogue

Of major importance also, is the interreligious significance of the Pope’s visit.

As part of his itinerary, the Pope will travel to the holy city of Najaf to meet with the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who is an influential Muslim cleric

Pope Francis has been an outspoken proponent of interfaith efforts. In February 2019, the Pope and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar in Cairo, Ahmed al-Tayeb, signed a historic declaration on Fraternity in Abu Dhabi.

The Pope’s visit, Cardinal Parolin concluded, will be an occasion of “interreligious dialogue, collaboration, understanding and fraternity between Christians and Muslims in view of the good of the country and its brighter future.”

Iraq: An overview of the Church and of the country's Christian communities

Christianity has been in Iraq from its earliest times, as the Acts of the Apostles testify. Its origins go back to the preaching of St Thomas the Apostle and his disciples Addai and Mari in the first century A.D., which extended to East Asia. Iraq is therefore, biblically and historically, an important land for all Christians who have played an important role in its history.

A history of persecution and discrimination

The Iraqi Christian community, that is composed today of Chaldeans, Assyrians, Armenians, Latins, Melkites, Orthodox and Protestants, has been marked by persecution and discrimination since the arrival of Islam and even after Iraq’s independence. Under Saddam Hussein’s secular regime, Christians had found a modus vivendi that allowed the Church to carry out its activities, also in the charitable field. However, already at that time - especially after the succession of wars started in the Eighties - more and more Iraqi Christians began to emigrate establishing a number of communities abroad.

Plunging numbers. The exodus after 2003 and between 2014 and 2017

The most massive exodus occurred after the US-led military intervention in 2003, due to insecurity, violence and attacks and between 2014 and 2017, after the establishment of the self-proclaimed “Islamic State" (IS - DAESH) in the north of the Country.

On the eve of the second Gulf War, Christians in Iraq were estimated between 1 and 1.4 million (approximately 6% of the population). Since then, their numbers have plunged to barely 300-400.000, according to the most recent estimates of the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

Between 2003 and March 2015, approximately 1,200 Christians were killed, including Archbishop Paulos Rahho of Mosul of the Chaldeans, who was murdered in 2008, 5 priests and the 48 victims of the jihadi attack against the Syrian Catholic Church of Our Lady of Help in Baghdad on October 31 2010) and 62 churches were damaged or destroyed.

The IS occupation of the Nineveh Plain, which is the cradle of Mesopotamian Christianity, literally emptied this region of Christians. More than 100,000 were forced to flee their homes along with other persecuted minorities such as the Yazidis. Many of these families have found refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan, namely in Ankawa, the Christian quarter of Erbil, in refugee camps in Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Lebanon, or have sought asylum in Europe and other countries. In recent years, at least 55,000 Iraqi Christians have also expatriated from Iraqi Kurdistan. Many churches and Christian properties have also been destroyed or severely damaged. An important part of the Christian historical heritage was saved from destruction by Archbishop Najib Mikhael Moussa of Mosul of the Chaldeans, who managed to save over 800 historical manuscripts and for this, in 2020, was awarded the Sakharov Prize by the EU.

Insecurity and sectarianism an ongoing threat to Iraqi Christians 

After the military defeat of the Caliphate in Iraq in 2017, Christians have gradually begun to return to the Nineveh Plain, with the help of the universal Church and, in particular, of the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Today, almost 45% of Nineveh's Christians have returned to their homes, while 80% of the churches in the Plain are undergoing reconstruction (with the exception of Mosul, due to red tape problems).

To date, about 57% of the damaged homes belonging to Christian families in the region and included in the reconstruction plan have been repaired, 35% of with the financial support of ACN, who has also facilitated the establishment of the Nineveh Reconstruction Committee (NRC) with  the aim of encouraging Christians to return to their communities and ensuring them and to other minorities protection.

Yet the lack of security and ongoing harassment, intimidation and exactions by local militias and hostile groups continue to threat the Iraqi Christian community, especially in this area. This was confirmed by the Report "Life after Isis: New challenges to Christianity in Iraq", released in autumn 2020 by ACN,  and by “Open Doors", a Christian organization which helps persecuted Christians around the world and has promoted the "Centres of Hope" initiative in Iraq.

The aspiration to full citizenship in a peaceful and pluralistic Iraq

Insecurity, political instability, sectarianism, but also corruption and the economic crisis, which has worsened with the COVID-19 pandemic, continue to discourage Christians from returning or staying in the Country. To ensure their future in a united and jihadi-free Iraq, they need above all  recognition of their full citizenship. This is the reason why Christian Churches have long insisted for a secular Constitution and for a more active role in the Iraqi political and social life. The Constitutional Charter approved in 2005 formally guarantees respect for religious freedom, but Article 2 actually establishes Islam as the official State religion and a primary source of legislation. Islam continues to be a privileged religion in the Iraqi system to the detriment of minorities.

Chaldean Patriarch H.B. Louis Raphaël Sako has repeatedly brought up this issue, insisting on the importance of an open dialogue between all parties involved to build a strong and pluralist State that respects all citizens, regardless of their religion and ethnicity. This was also reiterated at the last Synod of the Chaldean Church in August 2019, which called for a State based on "equality, justice, law" which recognizes a fair representation for Christians in government institutions.

The Iraqi Churches have found support on these issues from the Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Since taking office on 7 May 2020, al-Kadhimi has expressed on several occasions the desire to stop the exodus of Christians and to involve them in rebuilding the Country, emphasizing that they represent an important component of Iraqi society. These words have been accompanied by action. One important gesture was the recent go-ahead from the Iraqi Parliament to the recognition of Christmas as a public holiday throughout the country on a permanent base.  More recently, even the Shiite leader Muqtada al Sadr, head of the powerful Sadrist Party, has shown his willingness to dialogue with the Iraqi Christian community, by returning the properties stolen over past years by Shite groups to their legitimate owners.

The Holy See's concerns  for Christians in Iraq

The plight of Christians in Iraq has always been of great concern for the Holy See, especially since the second Gulf War of 2003, which Pope Saint John Paul II strenuously opposed, as he did in 1991, warning about “the tremendous consequences that an international military operation would have for the population of Iraq and for the balance of the Middle East region, and for the extremisms that could stem from it” (Angelus, March 16 2003).  The Pontiff was fully aware of the repercussions that this second armed conflict would have had on Christian communities in Iraq and throughout the region.

The establishment of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in 2014 further precipitated their situation. In this context, Pope Francis too has constantly voiced his closeness "to the beloved Iraqi people". This concern was reaffirmed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on the occasion of his trip to the Country in December 2018. During his visit, Vatican Secretary of State insisted on the importance of overcoming hatred and expressed the Church's gratitude for the Iraqi Christian witness which - he said - has become “a living example for all Christians in the world".

Pope Francis The reiterated the hope that Iraq “can face the future through the peaceful and shared pursuit of the common good on the part of all elements of society, including the religious” on 10 June 2019, during the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO), when he expressed his desire to visit Iraq in 2020.

The importance of preserving the historical presence of Christians in the Country and the need to guarantee their security and a place in the future of Iraq was once again highlighted on the occasion of the second official visit to the Vatican by President Barham Salih, on January 25, 2020, which focused on the challenges facing the Country and on the importance of promoting stability and the reconstruction process.

Pope Francis insisted on the need to protect the "Christian presence" in Iraq and in the entire region during an online meeting on the Syrian and Iraqi humanitarian crisis organised by the Vatican Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development with dozens of Catholic NGOs, on 10 December 2020. "We must work to ensure that the Christian presence in these lands continues to be what it has always been: a sign of peace, progress, development, and reconciliation between peoples", the Pontiff said in a video-message, calling on the international community to encourage the return of communities dispersed by war.

”In this context, the announcement on 7 December 2020 of Pope Francis' pastoral journey has been welcomed with enthusiasm by the Iraqi Church. The papal trip takes place 21 years after Pope John Pauls II’s “dreamed visit” to the Country, on the occasion of his Jubilee pilgrimage in the footsteps of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Paul in year 2000, was cancelled due to the political situation in Iraq.

Iraq: CRS preparing interreligious ground ahead of Pope’s visit

Pope Francis sets off Friday for the first-ever papal visit to Iraq.

His Apostolic Journey is stirring up great excitement in the Middle Eastern nation, which boasts the reputation of being the birthplace of the patriarch Abraham.

Christians, Jews, and Muslims all trace their roots back to Abraham, and the Pope’s visit is providing an opportunity to renew interreligious ties in long-suffering Iraq.

As that day approaches, Hassan Amer Abdullah, a project officer with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), spoke to Vatican Radio to offer his perspective.

Human fraternity: people for people

Himself a Muslim working for the American arm of Caritas, Mr. Amer says Pope Francis’ visit will remind Iraqis of their common heritage after decades of conflict, including the insurgency of the so-called Islamic State.

“The Pope’s visit will emphasize the message of human fraternity: that we are all brothers and that we can unite to support each other,” he said.

Mr. Amer recalled an Islamic saying he feels characterizes the Apostolic Journey: “People for people, regardless of their religion.”

He added that the visit is an opportunity for Iraqis to take notice of the solidarity being shown by countless international organizations and aid agencies.

“One good message that will be shared,” said Mr. Amer, “is that all Iraqis are coming together to rebuild their community and restore peace, regardless of their religious backgrounds.”

He said the visit should provide a message of “hope, solidarity, and peace for the Iraqi community”, especially for the younger generations.

Birthplace of Abraham

The CRS officer also pointed out that this is an historic visit, marking the first time a Pope will travel to Iraq. His visit will therefore provide an opportunity for the world to take notice of the country’s situation and history.

One stop on Pope Francis’ itinerary will take him to Ur of the Chaldeans, the place where Abraham was born and from which he set out to travel to the Promised Land.

“Iraq is the birthplace of Abraham, the spiritual father of many religions,” noted Mr. Amer.

Healing shattered relationships

Iraqis have suffered much over the past 2 decades, starting with the US-led invasion in 2003 and culminating in the rise of the so-called Islamic State in 2014.

These events have gone some way toward driving a wedge between Christians and Muslims in parts of the country.

Yet, Mr. Amer is hopeful for the future of interreligious relations. “Christians and Muslims are now rebuilding trust between them as a result of the conflict and the issue of displacement.”

He admitted that the operation is ongoing, but that many organizations are setting up programs to help promote reconciliation and peace.

“As an agency,” he added, “we need to keep working on bolstering relationship building here in Iraq.”

Mr. Amer then pointed to his own religious background as an example of interreligious dialogue.

“As a Muslim, I work at Catholic Relief Services with colleagues of different faiths to contribute to restoring peace and rebuilding trust between groups.”

He said CRS has put in place a project to empower youth of various religions to define together a vision for their community and their children.

Rebuilding peace in fraternity

Catholic Relief Services arrived in Iraq in response to the destruction unleashed by the so-called Islamic State. The Caritas-member agency thus serves communities mostly in the northern part of the country where the terror organization was most active.

Mr. Amer said CRS first began responding to the humanitarian situation with emergency aid projects. These included food distribution, cash handouts, shelters, and assistance with basic sanitary needs, as well as educational projects.

As the situation gradually improved, CRS has set up other programs to promote peace and reconciliation in Iraq’s war-torn communities.

“CRS has been working through many phases of our plan, starting from the frontline response to the long-term, sustainable plan, which hopes to bring people together to seek solutions to their common problems.”

Pope Francis’ much-anticipated visit will surely provide some much-needed oomph to push Iraqis along their long path toward fraternity.

Iraq trip is opportunity for pope to build rapport with Shiite Muslims

As Pope Francis continues his efforts to encourage and personally engage in interreligious dialogue, his planned March trip to Iraq will be an opportunity to extend a hand to the Shiite Muslim community.

In Iraq — like in Iran, Bahrain and Azerbaijan — more than 60% of Muslims are Shiite. Worldwide, though, Shiites are a minority, making up less than 15% of the Muslim community. Most Muslims are Sunni.

While the two communities have had serious disputes, even violent ones, “the differences between Sunni Islam and Shiite Islam are not that important or obvious, because for both there is only one God, and Muhammad is his blessed prophet and the one who received the Quran,” the sacred text, said Shahrzad Houshmand Zadeh, a Shiite Muslim theologian who has taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Often referred to as sects or schools of thought or even denominations, the Sunni and Shiite communities split early in Islamic history in a dispute over who was the legitimate successor to Muhammad in leading the community. For the Shiites, the obvious choice was Ali, Muhammad’s son-in-law, whom they believe was designated by Muhammad. The Sunnis instead decided to elect a caliph and chose Abu Bakr as the first; but years later they chose Ali as the fourth caliph, so both recognize him as an important figure in early Islam.

Ali is buried in the Iraqi city of Najaf, and his mausoleum is a pilgrimage destination. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit the city March 6 for a meeting with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of Shiite Islam’s most authoritative figures.

After his February 2019 meeting with Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, who is an authority recognized by many Sunnis around the world, the pope’s meeting with Ayatollah al-Sistani will extend that outreach to all Muslims, Houshmand said.

While no common document is expected from the pope’s meeting with the ayatollah — unlike the document on “human fraternity” signed with the sheikh — “I am certain there will be a great, perhaps even greater spiritual understanding” between the two, Houshmand said.

“I do not know if he means to or not, but the pope also is creating greater harmony between Sunnis and Shiites,” she said. “These encounters, which are so courageous, innovative and urgent, are a source of hope for humanity.”

In a way similar to what happened after splits developed within Christianity, once the Sunni and Shiite communities broke from one another, differences began to develop in the areas of prayer and devotion, theology and jurisprudence although they continue to share the core tenets of faith. And they both insist on the importance of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, making a pilgrimage to Mecca and giving public witness to their faith.

One of the most obvious differences between Sunni and Shiite, Houshmand said, is the Shiite devotion to saints and, especially to Ali and the early imams. Just like Catholics are devoted to saints, but do not worship them, Shiites affirm the uniqueness of Muhammad as prophet, but believe holiness continues to exist in the world in the lives of the saints and that they can mediate between God and people on earth.

And also like Catholics, she said, Shiites have developed devotional practices, including religious processions, which are not a feature of the Sunni community.