A painful irony today is that Erbil—once a refuge for displaced Christian families—has become one of the Iraqi cities most frequently exposed to missile and drone attacks as war between U.S.-Israel and Iran continues.
Iraq
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis reveals he survived two assassination attempts during visit to Iraq
In a new autobiography, Pope Francis revealed that he escaped two assassination attempts during his visit to Iraq in March 2021, including one involving a young woman who was believed to be attempting a suicide bombing.
Posted inNews Analysis, Politics & Society
The head of Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Church has been pushed out of Baghdad. What’s next for Christians there?
What obligation does the United States still owe these Christians and other Iraqi religious minorities? What is it willing to do to assist and protect them?
Posted inFaith, Ideas
‘Francis in Iraq’: A new documentary explores what a historic papal trip meant for persecuted Christians
More about the Christians of Iraqi-Kurdistan and Nineveh than Pope Francis, the film highlights their gratitude by showing why it was so important to them that he visit Iraq.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
‘Peace more powerful than war’: Pope Francis ends his Iraq trip in the land once ruled by ISIS
Pope Francis concluded his three-day trip to Iraq with a stadium Mass in which he said the country “will always remain with me, in my heart.” America’s Vatican correspondent, Gerard O’Connell, reports.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis makes history by meeting Ayatollah al-Sistani, spiritual leader of Iraqi Shia Muslims
On the second day of his trip to Iraq, Pope Francis met with a Shia Muslim leader in Najaf and delivered a message of religious unity in the ancient community of Ur. Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell reports.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq answers the prayers of the Christians who refuse to flee — and face extinction
Refugees from the attacks on Christians in Iraq cannot help but feel bitter and forgotten, writes Luma Simms. Pope Francis’ upcoming visit is an opportunity to begin healing and seek religious harmony.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
In video message, Pope Francis tells Iraq he will be visiting as a ‘penitent’ and a ‘pilgrim of peace’
Pope Francis told Iraqis that he will be visiting their country in three different roles: as a “penitent pilgrim,” a “pilgrim of peace” and a “pilgrim of hope.”
Posted inFaith, Short Take
Pope Francis’ visit will assure Iraqis they have not been forgotten
Pope Francis, by visiting a Shia majority country, completes his pastoral embrace of the Islamic world, begun two years ago with his trip to Abu Dhabi when he met with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb.
Posted inFaith, News
Explainer: A brief history of the Christian sites Pope Francis will visit in Iraq
Pope Francis hopes to embark on the first-ever papal visit to the biblical land of Iraq in early March in a spiritual pilgrimage.