Pope arrives in Iraq to rally Christians despite pandemic

Pope Francis prepares to leave from Fiumicino’s International airport Leonardo da Vinci, near Rome, for Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 5, 2021. Pope Francis is bound to Iraq for a four-day visit to urge the country’s dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns to make the first-ever papal visit. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia).

Pope Francis has arrived in Iraq to urge the country’s dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns to make his first papal visit to the country.

Iraqis were keen to welcome him and the global attention his visit will bring, with banners and posters hanging high in central Baghdad, and billboards depicting Francis with the slogan “We are all Brothers” decorating the main thoroughfare.