MISSION AND MINISTRY | Since the start of his papacy, Pope Francis’ decision to visit a war zone country is not only momentous but also a historic event. On March 5 the pope landed in Baghdad for a four-day international trip; it was his first time outside of Italy since the pandemic started in March 2020.
“In the midst of a pandemic in a time of global uncertainty, one has to weigh the importance of travel and human engagement,” said Edward Siebert, S.J., rector of the Jesuit Community. “Pope Francis clearly believes that this was the time to visit Christians in Iraq and preach a message of hope and peace. As the world reels from so many forces tearing it apart, I am consoled to see the Holy Father bring people together.”
There have been Christians in Iraq dating back 2000 years since the time of Jesus.
“The Pope traveled as a pilgrim to Iraq,” said Amir Hussain, chair of the Theology Department. “He is going there to try and stand in solidarity with the Christians in Iraq, who have been persecuted for decades.”
Pope Francis, 84, visited Najaf where he met Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of Iraq’s Shiite community. Ayatollah al-Sistani, 90, does not have many visitors and when people do visit him, he typically stays seated when they enter the room. “From what I understand Ayatollah al-Sistani got up out of his chair and went to the door to welcome Pope Francis into his home. And he waited until the pope sat down before he sat down,” said Hussian. “That is huge. The pope is coming as a pilgrim and in the Bible, there is an obligation to take care of pilgrims. I think for so many reasons it’s an extraordinary event.”
This was also a significant milestone of interfaith dialogue. “God didn’t create Catholics in God’s image,” said Hussain. “God didn’t create Muslims in God’s image. God created human beings in God’s image. So, we need to come together to help change the world and to make the world better.”
Pope Francis also visited the ancient city of Ur; Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region; and Mosul, where he prayed at the ruins of four churches destroyed by ISIS.
