Pope Francis's journeys of hope to Middle East created lasting mark

Visits were landmark moments for people of all faiths in the Arab world

President Sheikh Mohamed and Pope Francis exchange gifts at the Vatican. AP

Pope Francis and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, during a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi in 2019. Getty Images

Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass at Zayed Sport City on February 5, 2019 in Abu Dhabi. Getty images

Pope Francis at Hosh Al Bieaa Church Square in Mosul in 2021. He prayed amid the rubble of a city devastated during its occupation by ISIS. AP

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi with Pope Francis during a welcome ceremony at Baghdad International Airport, in Baghdad, Iraq March 5, 2021. Reuters

Pope Francis reacts during a meeting with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in the Sakhir Palace during his apostolic journey, south of Manama, Bahrain, November 3, 2022. Reuters

Pope Francis prays by the Western Wall on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Getty Images

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Since the earliest days of his papacy, Pope Francis viewed the Middle East not only as the birthplace of civilisations and faiths, but as a region bleeding from decades of war, occupation, extremism and displacement.

His visits to the Middle East since 2013 were far more than ceremonial stopovers. They were pilgrimages guided by diplomacy.

In 2014, he visited Jordan, Palestine and Israel, calling for peace and interreligious understanding at a time of deepening division. Five years later, in 2019, he became the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula, attending the Human Fraternity Conference in Abu Dhabi and signing a landmark interfaith declaration with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb.

In 2021, he defied security concerns and made a groundbreaking visit to Iraq, walking through cities scarred by ISIS, praying among the ruins of Mosul, and embracing Shiite leader Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani in a rare meeting.

The Pope then made a historic visit to Bahrain in 2022, becoming the first pontiff to set foot in the island kingdom. The trip centred on promoting interfaith relations, particularly through the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue.

The Pope, who has died aged 88, said those visits were also acts of witness. “I come as a pilgrim of peace seeking fraternity and reconciliation after years of war and terrorism," he declared when he arrived in Baghdad.

“At his last public appearance, Pope Francis repeated what had become a slogan in his pontificate of peace,” the Vatican said on Monday.

During the Easter Urbi et Orbi blessing, the day before he died, the Pope’s words echoed the countless appeals he had made over the years, urging world leaders to lay down arms and turn to dialogue.

What he said about region

Pope Francis spoke about nearly every major Middle Eastern crisis, from the wars in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Gaza, to the political breakdown in Lebanon and the suffering of migrants and religious minorities.

On Gaza, he was direct and anguished. “This is war, this is terrorism," he said. "Even children are suffering … we pray especially for the children, who are losing their lives in Gaza.”

On Yemen, where years of war and famine have devastated the country, he said: “The cry of these children and their parents rises up to God. Let us pray for the people of Yemen, especially the children.”

On Sudan, as violence engulfed country in 2023, the pontiff said: “I am close to the Sudanese people, who are already so tried. I pray that arms may be laid down and dialogue may prevail.”

Lebanon, with its fragile political system and deepening economic crisis, was close to his heart. “Lebanon is more than a country: it is a message of freedom and an example of pluralism, both for the East and the West," he said.

And on Iraq, during one of the most ambitious trips of his papacy, he said: “The church in Iraq is a living church, courageous and full of hope. Your witness has been like a grain of wheat that dies and bears fruit.”

What he said while among them

Perhaps the most stirring words the Pope offered were spoken on Middle Eastern soil.

In Abu Dhabi, he urged a new paradigm for interfaith relations: “Religious freedom is not limited to freedom of worship, but sees in the other truly a brother or sister to be loved.”

In Ur in southern Iraq, he brought together Muslims, Christians and Yazidis to say: “We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion. We must walk together, united as brothers and sisters, to bring peace.”

And at the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi, he declared: “Fraternity is the new frontier of humanity. Either we build the future together or there will be no future.”