This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell look at the challenges facing Pope Francis’ scheduled trip to Iraq.
Iraq
Posted inFaith, News
Deadly suicide bombing in Baghdad won’t stop Pope Francis from visiting Iraq, patriarch says
Iraq’s top Catholic official said Thursday that a deadly suicide bombing in Baghdad hasn’t thwarted Pope Francis’ plans to visit.
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
Podcast: Can Pope Francis safely visit Iraq?
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell talk about how the Vatican is weighing the pastoral needs of Iraq’s embattled Christian community and the health and safety concerns for Pope Francis and for the crowds who want to see him.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Can Pope Francis visit Iraq safely—even with a Covid vaccine?
While a visit from the pope will no doubt provide a spiritual and psychological boost to Nineveh Christians, under the current pandemic conditions it is a prospect that must give local public health officials pause.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis plans to visit Iraq in March after getting a Covid vaccine
Vatican sources acknowledge the visit, which Pope Francis has long hoped for, is “risky” under current conditions.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Christians in Northern Iraq face a second Covid-19 wave (without enough hospital beds)
Though the Christian communities around Erbil, like much of Iraq, were spared by the first wave of the pandemic, the numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths rose dramatically over the summer and appear now on the cusp of another significant acceleration.
Posted inGoodNews, Politics & Society
Iraqi archbishop who saved ancient manuscripts nominated for E.U. prize
An Iraqi archbishop who helped save hundreds of ancient manuscripts from being destroyed by Islamic State militants was among the nominees for the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
‘Parish priest on loan to the missions’ ends nine years as CNEWA president
Msgr. John E. Kozar, having completed nine years of service as head of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, is retiring from his post and reflects on his time as CNEWA head and on what he plans to do next.
Posted inFaith, News
Christians remain vital to Iraq, says U.S. lawyer who advises Chaldeans
Before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Christians numbered around 1.5 million, but sectarian attacks on churches in Baghdad and other areas soon followed, and the population either headed north or left the country altogether.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
In Iraq, aid groups face lockdown constraints trying to help displaced
International Catholic relief organizations are beginning to express concern about how the pandemic is affecting the people of Iraq and are assessing how to assist them in their time of need.