Pope Francis in Iraq

Participants in a May 6 webinar discussed Pope Francis' historic visit to Iraq, which left an enduring impact among a population that has suffered years of violence. The trip also encouraged interreligious dialogue.

Watch: Heidi Schlumpf, Joshua McElwee and writer and graduate student Asad Dandia discuss Pope Francis' recent papal trip to Iraq.

We say: Pope Francis could not heal the wounds in Iraq, but he could and did demonstrate solidarity with the victims. But, despite assurances, the trip was not held in a way to minimize the possibility of the spread of coronavirus among Iraqis.

Distinctly Catholic: One of the things I like best about this pope is that he remembers the tactile nature of our Christian faith, the fact that most of us common people want to touch the holy or, in this case, make a pilgrimage to a holy place.

Just Catholic: The Chaldean rite, with or without the words of institution, makes it clear that the Holy Spirit and the faith of the community create the Real Presence. But then there is the larger implication.

"Pope Francis' visit was a historic and welcome first for the country," said U.S. President Joe Biden, about Iraq. "It sent an important message, as Pope Francis said himself, that 'fraternity is more durable than fratricide, that hope is more powerful than death, that peace more powerful than war.' "

Pope Francis defended his trip to Iraq, despite the possibility of spreading the coronavirus in the country.

Having witnessed or even experienced persecution for their faith, the Christians of Iraq must be careful not to harbor thoughts of revenge, Pope Francis said at a Mass March 7 with some 10,000 people in Irbil.

Pope Francis urged Iraqi Christians not to lose hope and not to seek vengeance over their suffering during the Islamic State regime, in a pair of poignant visits March 7 to churches that were desecrated and destroyed by the terrorist group.

Invoking the shared origins of Christians, Muslims and Jews steps from the Ziggurat ruins of the ancient city that the Prophet Abraham once called home, Pope Francis March 6 called on Iraq's religious leaders to help the country heal and rebuild following decades of violence.

Pope Francis begins a three-day visit in Iraq by calling for peace in the war-ravaged country.

In a March 2 briefing, the Vatican sought to downplay the risks of Pope Francis visiting Iraq during the COVID-19 pandemic, stressing that the March 5-8 events have been planned to maintain social distancing measures.

Francis, the comic strip: Brother Leo and Gabby talk about Pope Francis' upcoming trip to Iraq.

Among those awaiting Pope Francis' March 5-8 visit to Iraq are the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, a community in the Nineveh plain that is still rebuilding after ISIS invaded the area some six years ago.

A week before Pope Francis was scheduled to arrive in Iraq, the Vatican nuncio in Baghdad and several members of the staff tested positive for COVID-19 and began self-isolating.

NCR Connections: When Pope Francis travels to Iraq March 5-8, it will be the first coverage of a papal trip Heidi Schlumpf will oversee as editor — but not the first one for Vatican correspondent Joshua McElwee.

As Pope Francis plans to visit to Iraq March 5 to 8, Iraqi analysts and Christian leaders told NCR that the mere fact that he is coming should outweigh any problems.

Christians across Iraq are eagerly anticipating Pope Francis' planned March 5-8 visit to their country. NCR spoke with five Iraqi Christians in Baghdad and Erbil, focusing on their hopes for the papal visit.

As part of COVID-19 precautions, the Iraqi government has ordered the closure of mosques and churches "until further notice" ahead of Pope Francis' scheduled visit March 5-8.

Cardinal Louis Sako said Pope Francis' March trip to Iraq is still on and that the pope plans to meet personally with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, leader of the country's Shiite Muslim majority.

In interviews with NCR, medical practitioners and theologians worried about the prospect of a March papal visit to Iraq exposing local organizers and security officials to the virus, or attracting even small-scale crowds.

Pope Francis will visit Iraq in March 2021, the Vatican said in an unexpected Dec. 7 announcement, restarting papal travel abroad after an unprecedented year-long suspension in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.