Vatican ambassador to Baghdad tests positive for Covid-19

Pope Francis’s visit to Iraq on Friday will not be delayed or cancelled, officials said

The statue of the Virgin Mary at the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, or Al-Tahira Al-Kubra church, in the predominantly Christian town of Qaraqosh in Iraq. AFP

A nun adds a coat of paint to the crucifix at the Immaculate Mary Convent in Qaraqosh, in preparation for the visit of Pope Francis in March. AFP

Policemen stand guard as maintenance work is carried out at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh before the Pope's visit. EPA

A fighter from the Nineveh Plain Protection Units, an Assyrian Christian militia, stands guard outside the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh. AFP

Iraqi and Vatican flags and a picture of Pope Francis in Qaraqosh, about 30 kilometres east of Mosul in northern Iraq. EPA

A sign welcoming Pope Francis hangs outside the Syriac Catholic Church of St Thomas in Qaraqosh. AFP

Father Ammar Yako, head of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, walks past a poster of Pope Francis days before his historic visit to Iraq. Getty

Workers prepare a path at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, Iraq. AFP

Iraqi men print a banner of Pope Francis and Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani at a factory in Najaf, before the first papal visit to Iraq. AFP

Municipal workers pave the road outside the Chaldean Catholic Church of St Joseph in preparation for the Pope's visit to Baghdad. AFP

Members of a Christian choir rehearse at the Chaldean Catholic Church of St Joseph before the visit of Pope Francis. AFP

Workers prepare Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil for the arrival of Pope Francis. AFP

A stage has been set up at Franso Hariri Stadium in preparation for the papal visit to Iraq. AFP

A poster of Pope Francis on the wall of the Chaldean Catholic Church of St Joseph in Baghdad. AFP

Al Tahera Syriac Catholic Church in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which was severely damaged by ISIS in 2017. Pope Francis is expected to pray there during his March visit. AFP

Al Tahera Syriac Catholic Church in Mosul was damaged by ISIS as the extremists were forced out of the city. AFP

The Chaldean Catholic Church of St Joseph in Iraq's capital Baghdad. The Pope will visit the city in March. AFP

Inside the Chaldean Catholic Church of St Joseph in Baghdad. AFP

Workers at Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish region. The Pope will hold a Mass at the stadium in March. AFP

Workers finalise preparations for the Pope's visit to Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil. AFP

Pope Francis will hold a Mass at Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish region. AFP

The Vatican's ambassador to Baghdad has tested positive for Covid-19, days before the historic papal visit to Iraq.

Archbishop Mitja Leskovar has been isolating inside The Pope's residence in Baghdad, an Iraqi diplomat told The National.

But the infection of Mr Leskovar, who has been key to planning the trip, will not affect Pope Francis's visit from March 5 to March 8, the diplomat said.

A heath official told The National that contact tracing would be undertaken as a matter of procedure to track anyone who may have contracted the virus from the archbishop.

However, this had not started yet.

For weeks Mr Leskovar had been touring Iraqi cities to prepare for the visit, and meeting senior officials – including Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi on February 14.

Days before that, he held talks with officials in the southern city of Najaf, where The Pope is scheduled to meet with the Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani on Saturday.

A senior aide to Mr Al Sistani also recently tested positive for coronavirus.

Ahmed Al Safi is in a stable condition after having the infection diagnosed last week, his office said.

The Pope's visit will include a stop at the ancient Mesopotamian site of Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, the patriarch of the three great monotheistic religions.

He will also visit Baghdad, Mosul and the nearby Christian town of Qaraqosh, and Erbil to meet officials and hold Masses.

The papal visit comes as Iraq is seeing a second wave of the virus, with daily cases exceeding 4,000 this week.

Pope Francis's visit to Iraq - daily agenda