First in Catholic history… The President and the Prime Minister are interviewed one after another
“You have to learn to jump over the difference and see it as a member of humanity”
viewer
Pope Francis, the first visitor to Iraq in 2000 years of Catholicism, called for an end to violence and extremism.
According to foreign media such as AP and AFP, Pope Francis arrived at Baghdad International Airport, the capital of Iraq, by private flight at 2 pm on the 5th (local time). Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Qadhimi met the Pope in front of a private plane. After inspecting the honor guard, the pope moved to the presidential palace, welcomed by the Iraqi people.
Pope Francis, who met with high-ranking Iraqi officials such as President Bahram Saleh at the presidential palace, urged that “violence, extremism, faction, and intolerant behavior should be stopped.”
The Pope said, “Only if we learn to transcend each other’s differences and see the other as a member of the same human race, we can begin the process of effective reconstruction and leave a more just and human world for future generations.”
At the same time, he emphasized that religious minorities should be valued.
The Pope said, “No one should be regarded as a second-class citizen,” he said. “All Iraqi religious people have the right to be protected like Shiite Muslims.”
He added, “The existence of long-time Christians in this land is a rich heritage,” he added. “Please think of religious minorities as a valuable resource to protect, not an obstacle to remove.”
viewer
The world’s oldest Christian society in Iraq was 1 million to 1.4 million people in 2003, but it is reported that the number has decreased to 300,000 to 400,000 now due to war, civil war, and attacks by Islamic extremist terrorist group’Islamic State’ (IS). .
The Pope specifically referred to the Yazidi who were racially cleaned up by the Sunni extremist terrorist organization “Islamic States” (IS).
“Among the many people who suffered here, I think of the Yazidi,” he said. “They are innocent victims of reckless and cruel acts.”
The Yazidi, a minority ethnic group living mainly in Iraq, have been persecuted for their belief in Yazidiism, not Islam, and in particular, since 2014, when the IS launched its call in Iraq and Syria, they were slaughtered close to racial cleansing.
The Pope, who met with senior Iraqi government officials such as the President and Prime Minister, visited the Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad this afternoon.
In October 2010, 58 people were killed by extremist terrorists, and 48 of the dead were Catholics.
The Holy See is considering the beatification of 48 people who died at the time (the Pope’s official declaration granting the title of blessing).
“Their deaths strongly suggest that incitement to war, hateful attitudes, violence, and bleeding practices are incompatible with true religious teachings,” the Pope said.
“Iraqi Christians have suffered from war, economic hardship and persecution for many years,” he urged. “Although the Christian society in Iraq is as small as mustard seeds, we have to endure in order to enrich the life of the whole society.”
The Pope has publicly expressed his desire to visit Iraq several times since his inception in 2013.
There were voices from inside and outside the Holy See whether it was necessary to postpone the schedule due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) in Iraq and security insecurity, but the Pope did not hesitate to visit, saying, “It is worth the risk.”
The Pope plans to visit Baghdad, Najaf, Ur, Erbil, Mosul, and Bakhdida for 3 nights and 4 days until the 8th. In Najaf, he plans to meet the Islamic Shiite leader Ali Alsistani.
/ Reporter Kwak Yoon-ah [email protected]
< 저작권자 ⓒ 서울경제, 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지 >