Ahead of Pope Francis’ historic trip to Iraq on Friday, the Vatican says the visit will continue despite the increase in Covid-19 infections there.
“All precautions have been taken from the point of view of health,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday.
“The best way to interpret the trip is as an act of love; it is a gesture of love by the Pope to the people of this land who need to receive him, ”he said.
When asked by journalists about the potential risks to Iraqis of a spread of the coronavirus, Bruni said the Pope “will not find crowds”.
“He will travel with his car closed and it will be difficult to see him from the street. But even watching it on TV will be worth it, ”he said.
On Wednesday, the Pope urged Catholics to pray for a successful trip. “I ask you to accompany this apostolic journey with prayer, so that it may be carried out in the best way and take home the desired results.
“The Iraqi people are waiting for us. They waited for Pope John II, who was forbidden to go. We cannot disappoint a country (a people) for the second time. We will pray that this trip is well done ”.
Pope Francis and his entourage have all been vaccinated against Covid-19, the Vatican said – despite the announcement by his embassy in Iraq on Sunday that his ambassador, Mitra Leskovar, had tested positive for Covid-19.
The pope will stay at the Vatican embassy during his trip, the Vatican said on Tuesday. Ambassador Leskovar was moved to another residence.
The pope will visit Najaf, a sacred site for Shiite Muslims, where Muhammad’s son-in-law, Imam Ali, is buried.
Najaf is home to one of the most important teaching centers in the Islamic world, and there Pope Francis will meet in particular with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of the most influential Shiite Muslim leaders.
“The significance of the meeting goes beyond the meeting itself,” said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni on Tuesday.
Pope Francis made dialogue with Muslims the cornerstone of his papacy. In 2019, he signed a joint document with the famous sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, head of the main Sunni Muslim authority and Al-Azhar university in Abu Dhabi, encouraging peace between people of different religions.
“The Pope goes to Iraq in search of his brothers and comes as a brother,” said Bruni.
In Qaraqosh, Francis will meet Christians in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, which was almost completely destroyed by ISIS 2016-17; the churchyard was used during ISIS occupation as a firing range.
The decline of the Christian population in Iraq is one of the main reasons for the Pope’s trip, according to the Vatican.
“I am a pastor of people who are suffering,” the Pope said in an interview last month with the Catholic News Service, discussing his next trip.
In Ur, Francisco will also meet with representatives of Iraq’s Yazidi minority community, which suffered ISIS murders and slavery in 2014.