Pope Francis confirms Iraq visit despite envoy catching Covid-19 and rocket attacks

The Pontiff is expected to arrive in Baghdad on Friday on four-day visit that will take him to five historic cities

Volunteers finalise preparations to recieve Pope Francis in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira) in the old city of Iraq's northern city of Mosul ahead of the pontiff's visit later in the week. AFP

Volunteers stand holding posters welcoming Pope Francis in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira) in the old city of Iraq's northern city of Mosul ahead of the pontiff's visit later in the week. AFP

Posters welcoming Pope Francis are prepared at St. Joseph's Chaldean Church ahead of the Pope's visit, in Baghdad, Iraq. AP Photo

Men stand holding a poster by UNESCO welcoming Pope Francis at a cultural centre in the old city of Iraq's northern city of Mosul ahead of the pontiff's visit later in the week. AFP

Pope Francis is preparing for what the Vatican website describes as the "apostolic journey of the holy father" to Iraq this week. Francis' visit will be the first by a pope to Iraq, and Roman Catholics are busy preparing for his arrival. Here, work is done on the roof of St Mary Al Tahira Church at Qaraqosh near Mosul, one of the churches on the Pope's schedule. Getty Images

A worker helps to prepare Erbil international Stadium, also known as the Franso Hariri Stadium, for the visit of Pope Francis to the capital of the Kurdistan region in Iraq. EPA

An Iraqi Christian visits a building in Qaraqosh, Iraq, that bears the scars of ISIS violence. Reuters

Father Ammar Altony Yako leads prayers as Christians attend mass at the Grand Immaculate Old Church in Qaraqosh, the largest church in Iraq. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit on Sunday as part of his tour. Reuters

The town of Qaraqosh was ravaged by ISIS after 2014 and liberated from the extremists in 2017. Christians of all denominations have joined in an effort to encourage their communities to return. Reuters

Christian militiamen and police officers stand guard at a gate in Qaraqosh, Iraq. Reuters

Staff at a shop in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish region, print flyers for Pope Francis's visit. AFP

Workers print flyers of Pope Francis at a shop in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish region, ahead of the first-ever papal visit to Iraq. AFP

Musicians from a joint Kurdish and Christians orchestra and choir rehearse at Erbil international Stadium, also known as the Franso Hariri Stadium, for the visit of Pope Francis to the capital of the Kurdistan region in Iraq. EPA

Choristers from a joint Kurdish and Christians orchestra and choir rehearse at Erbil international Stadium for the visit of Pope Francis to the capital of the Kurdistan region in Iraq. EPA

Banners and Iraqi and Vatican flags go up in central Baghdad to welcome Pope Francis. EPA

Pope Francis said on Wednesday that he will embark on a historic trip to Iraq in two days' time, despite rocket attacks on a military base hosting US forces.

"The day after tomorrow, God willing, I will go to Iraq for a three-day pilgrimage. For a long time I have wanted to meet these people who have suffered so much," the 84-year-old Pontiff said in his weekly Wednesday address.

The Pontiff is expected to arrive in Baghdad on March 5 for a three-day, five-city visit that will take him to historic sites around the country.

It will be his first foreign trip abroad since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and the first papal trip to Iraq.

"The Iraqi people are waiting for us, they were waiting for Saint John Paul II, who was forbidden to go. One cannot disappoint a people for the second time. Let us pray that this journey will be successful,” he said.

Pope John Paul had to cancel a planned trip in 2000 after a breakdown in talks with the government of former dictator Saddam Hussein.

The Pontiff made no mention of the country’s security situation where on Wednesday morning nearly 10 rockets landed on a military air base that is hosting US, coalition and Iraqi forces.

"For some time I have wanted to meet that people who suffered so much, and meet that martyred Church," Pope Francis said.

The Pontiff was referring to the Baghdad’s Lady of Salvation church that turned into a scene of slaughter on October 31, 2010, when armed men burst in on the congregation gathered for a Sunday service. They killed 58 people including two priests.

Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako echoed the Pope's remarks and said he is determined to visit Iraq on Friday despite his envoy catching coronavirus.

“Pope Francis is determined to visit Iraq despite the Vatican’s ambassador to Iraq Mitja Leskova testing positive for Covid-19 days before the trip,” Cardinal Sako said in Baghdad.

“It will not impact the visit,” he said.

As apostolic nuncio to Baghdad, Mr Leskovar throughout had been traveling across the country in recent weeks to prepare for the pope’s visit, including visits to Mosul in the north, the shrine city of Najaf and the southern site of Ur.

The visit is a "gesture of love and solidarity with all Iraqis, he's coming for all Iraqis and not only the Christians," Cardinal Sako said.

During his time in Iraq the Pope will visit the war-torn city of Mosul that was seized by ISIS in 2014.

The message from Mosul is to "see the results of extremism and terrorism that are only solved through constructive dialogue,” Cardinal Sako said.

The Pope will also visit the northern town of Qaraqosh to "encourage Christians to stay, to hold on to hope, to build trust with their neighbours and to cooperate for a better future."

He will also visit Ur, birthplace of the prophet Abraham, who is revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews, and meet Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani.

"In the land of Abraham, together with other religious leaders, we also will take another step forward in fraternity among believers," Pope Francis said.

For the Christians in Iraq, the pope's visit portrays a form of support.

Cardinal Sako said it gives a message to Christians that "they are not forgotten and to encourage them to stay, we have to turn a new page."

The Pope's schedule in Iraq summary:

Friday, March 5: Arrives in Baghdad

Saturday, March 6: Najaf, Nassiriya, Ur

Sunday, March 7: Erbil, Mosul, Qaraqosh

Monday, March 8: Farewell ceremony at Baghdad's airport

Previous papal visits to the Middle East - in pictures

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