On Friday, Pope Francis arrives in Bagdad, fulfilling the 84-year-old's long-held desire to visit the country that's home to many Eastern Rite churches, Catholic and Orthodox.
This marks the first papal trip to Iraq, with stops scheduled in Baghdad, Najaf, Nasiriyah, Erbil, Mosul and Qaraqosh as he takes in several cities that were once home to large Christian communities, now depleted after years of violence and extremism following the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The late Pope John Paul was unable to visit in 2000 after negotiations with the former dictator’s government broke down.
Beginning with a welcome ceremony followed by a courtesy visit to President Barham Salih, Pope Francis' three-day itinerary will include a meeting with Shiite spiritual cleric Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Al Sistani, where the two religious leaders are expected to sign the document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.
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Pope Francis arrives to speak to reporters aboard a plane on the way to Abu Dhabi. Reuters -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai; Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church stand for a national anthem during a reception, at the Presidential Palace on the day two of the Holy See's official visit. Rashed Al Mansoori / Ministry of Presidential Affairs -
The landmark visit of Pope Francis to Abu Dhabi in February was an extraordinary, momentous occasion broadcast globally Victor Besa / The National -
Crowds cheer as Pope Francis arrives at the Zayed Sports City to deliver mass on February 5, 2019. Victor Besa / The National -
Pope Francis arrives at the Zayed Sports City to deliver mass on February 5, 2019. Victor Besa / The National -
Pope Francis presents a gift to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on February 4, 2019. Also seen is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. Ministry of Presidential Affairs photo -
Pope Francis delivers mass at Zayed Sports City on February 5, 2019. Victor Besa / The National -
Worshipers attend mass at Zayed Sports City during the Pope's visit. Victor Besa / The National -
Worshipers attend mass at Zayed Sports City during the Pope's visit. Victor Besa / The National -
Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church arrives at the Zayed Sports City to deliver mass on February 5, 2019. Victor Besa / The National -
Worshippers pray during the mass held. byPope Francis in Abu Dhabi on February 5, 2019. Victor Besa / The National -
On day two of the UAE papal visit, Pope Francis and Dr Ahmad Al Tayyeb, Grand Imam of the Al Azhar Al Sharif, tour Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Saeed Al Neyadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs -
Pope Francis arrives at the Zayed Sports City to deliver mass on February 5, 2019. Victor Besa / The National -
Worshipers attend mass at Zayed Sports City during the Pope's visit. Victor Besa / The National -
Worshipers attend mass at Zayed Sports City during the Pope's visit. Victor Besa / The National -
Pope Francis arrives at the Zayed Sports City to deliver mass on February 5, 2019. Victor Besa / The National -
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid announce that the Abrahamic House will be built in Abu Dhabi in honour of Pope Francis and the Grand Imam, Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb. -
Pope Francis delivers a speech during the Founders Memorial event in Abu Dhabi on the first visit by the head of the Catholic church to the Muslim-majority Arabian Peninsula. AFP -
Pope Francis speaks with athlete Chaica Al Qassimi after a reception at Al Mushrif Palace on February 4, 2019. Ryan Carter / Ministry of Presidential Affairs -
Pope Francis and Dr Ahmad Al Tayeb, Grand Imam of the Al Azhar Al Sharif unveil two new artworks belonging to Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Zayed National Museum. Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism -
Worshipers queue to get on a bus to take them to Zayed Sports City for mass. Victor Besa / The National -
Worshipers queue to get on a bus to take them to Zayed Sports City for mass. Victor Besa / The National -
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bids farewell to Pope Francis at the Presidential Airport on February 5, 2019. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs -
Pope Francis waves goodbye as he leaves Abu Dhabi after his three-day visit in February 2019. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
During his trip to the UAE in February 2019 – the first visit by a pontiff to the Arabian peninsula – he signed an inter-religious text condemning extremism and promoting tolerance and peaceful coexistence in 2019 with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb.
The 48-hour visit to the UAE, which is home to nearly 1 million Catholics, saw him deliver a historic mass in Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City that drew an estimated 135,000 people and praised the UAE as “a land that is trying to be a model of coexistence, of human brotherhood, and a meeting place among diverse civilisations and cultures.”
A month later, he was back in the region for a two-day trip to Morocco focusing on inter-faith relations and issued a joint call with the country’s King Mohammed VI for the preservation of Jerusalem’s multi-religious character. The appeal said the city’s sacred sites must be accessible to worshippers of all faiths and expressed their deep concern “for its spiritual significance and its special vocation as a city of peace.”
Late last year, he appointed Pierbattista Pizzaballa as Jerusalem’s Latin patriarch. The Franciscan friar chose Jordan – which has a 2 per cent Christian population and acts as custodian of holy places in East Jerusalem – for his first visit to the region in his new role.
During his stay in the capital Amman, he described the “catastrophic” situations unfolding in nearby countries, citing the civil war in Syria, financial meltdown in Lebanon and the failed uprising in Iraq.
Pope Francis visited Jordan in 2014, beginning a three-day trip to the Middle East by hosting mass in the Hashemite Kingdom before travelling on to Israel and the West Bank.
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Pope Benedict XVI visits Bkerke, Lebanon in September 2012. AFP -
Pope Benedict XVI meets Muslim clerics while visiting Michel Suleiman, Lebanon's president at the time, at the Baabda presidential palace in September 2012. AFP -
Lebanese Catholics cheer as Pope Benedict XVI arrives at the Maronite Christian heartland of Bkerke in 2012. AFP -
A large crowd attends a Mass held by Pope Benedict XVI in the Lebanese capital Beirut in September 2012. AFP -
Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd as he arrives to lead an open-air Mass at Beirut's waterfront on the final day of his visit to Lebanon in 2012. AFP -
Wafaa, wife of Michel Suleiman, Lebanon's president at the time, receives communion from Pope Benedict XVI during the Mass in Beirut. AFP -
Michel Suleiman, Lebanon's president at the time, meets Pope Benedict XVI before he departs Beirut. AFP -
Pope Benedict XVI holds an open-air Mass in Beirut on the final day of his 2012 visit to Lebanon. AFP -
Jordan's King Abdullah II and his wife Queen Rania give Pope Francis a tour of the Royal Palace in Amman in 2014. AFP -
King Abdullah II of Jordan and Pope Francis visit Bethany, a site on the eastern bank of the River Jordan where some Christians believe Jesus was baptised. AFP -
Pope Francis visits Bethany in 2014. Some Christians believe it was the site where Jesus was baptised. AFP -
King Abdullah II of Jordan, Queen Rania, Crown Prince Hussein, the king's religious affairs adviser, Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, and Pope Francis visit Bethany in 2014. AFP -
King Abdullah II of Jordan, Queen Rania, Crown Prince Hussein, religious affairs adviser Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad and Pope Francis at the site on the eastern bank of the River Jordan where some Christians believe Jesus was baptised. AFP -
Pope Francis arrives to celebrate a Mass at the Amman Stadium in 2014. AFP -
Pope Francis greets the crowd at the Amman Stadium, where he held a Mass in 2014. AFP -
Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he leaves the stadium after holding a Mass during his 2014 trip to Jordan. AFP -
Pope Francis kisses a baby before holding a Mass in Amman in 2014. AFP -
Pope Francis hugs a boy before holding a Mass at the Amman stadium during a visit to Jordan in 2014. AFP
During his Christmas message at the end of last year, he singled out Lebanon and South Sudan as two countries facing difficulties that he intends to visit this year. “I am deeply troubled to see the suffering and anguish that has sapped the native resilience and resourcefulness of the Land of the Cedars,” he said, expressing his “affection for the beloved people of Lebanon, whom I hope to visit as soon as possible.”
He also called for peace and reconciliation in many of the region’s conflicts, including Syria, Yemen, Libya and Iraq.
