Vatican announces Pope's first trip after a year of standstill due to pandemic: Iraq

The Vatican has officially confirmed that Pope Francis will visit Iraq from March 5 to 8, 2021. This is a trip that Pope Francis has been trying to make for some time. In 2019 he stated that he wanted to go there.

POPE FRANCIS
June 10, 2019
I constantly think about Iraq, where I want to go next year.

Pope Francis will visit Baghdad, Erbil, Qaraqosh, and Mosul, the city where ISIS killed hundreds of innocent people.

FRANCISCO
October 23, 2016
This cruelty brings us to tears, leaving us speechless.

Pope Francis will also fulfill one of John Paul II’s dreams by visiting the ancient city of Ur, Abraham’s homeland. Pope Francis’ predecessor wanted to go on a pilgrimage there in 1999, but was unable to visit. The negotiations were long and the trip was postponed. Some years later, the US invasion of Iraq brought everything to a standstill.

This is the first trip announced during the pandemic. The Vatican has indicated that the trip schedule will be published in due time and will take into account the current health emergency and the state of the country.

Javier Romero

Translation: Christian Campos