Pope returns home from historical Iraq visit…

1400km strong march despite terrorism and corona threat
First visit as the head of the Catholic Church… emphasizing coexistence and harmony

[아시아경제 이현우 기자] Pope Francis is reportedly on his way home after finishing his historic visit to Iraq, which lasted three nights and four days. The Pope, who visited Iraq for the first time in 2000 years as the head of the Catholic Church, emphasized coexistence and harmony beyond religion in the schedule of a forced march that traveled more than 1,400 km in Iraq alone.

According to foreign media such as AFP, on the morning of the 8th (local time), the Pope boarded a private plane for Rome and returned to his country, receiving farewell greetings from Iraqi President Bahram Saleh at Baghdad International Airport. Pope Pope said, “While I was with you, I heard voices of sorrow and loss, as well as voices of hope and consolation,” said Pope. “I will return to Rome soon, but Iraq will always be with me and in my heart. Will” said.

The Pope, who visited Iraq for the first time in the history of Catholicism in 2000 on the 5th, fulfilled the schedule of a strong march around six cities in Iraq, including Baghdad, Najaf, Ur, Erbil, Mosul, and Bakhdida. It is known that only the distance traveled within Iraq is more than 1400 km. Immediately before the visit, safety concerns were raised due to rocket raids and retaliatory raids by US troops at US bases in Iraq, and the spread of Corona 19 in Iraq was also serious, but the Pope visited Iraq without heeding his will to visit.

The Pope’s visit to Iraq is evaluated to have focused on disseminating a message of hope and emphasizing interreligious harmony to Christians in Iraq, who suffered the sacrifices of numerous believers amid the oppression of the Sunni extremist terrorist group Islamic State (IS). In particular, on the 6th, the day after the visit, Najaf, a sacred site for Shi’ites in the south, met with Ayatollah Ali Alsistani, the top Shiite leader, to draw attention from around the world. Locally, the meeting of two religious leaders was evaluated as “a breakthrough moment in the history of modern religions.”

Later, the visit to Ur, known as Abraham’s hometown, which Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all consider as common ancestors, is an analysis that the Pope’s intention to emphasize coexistence and harmony beyond religion was reflected. In northern cities such as Mosul and Bakhdida, which were visited on the last day of their visit to Iraq, the church in Mosul, which was destroyed by the IS attack, emphasized peace and fraternity, and is evaluated as having played a major role in encouraging Christians and local residents to rebuild their will.

Reporter Lee Hyun-woo [email protected]