The historical visit will touch a series of holy sites, communities and religious leaders, amid international tensions and the terror threat
In his first trip abroad since the pandemic swept the planet, Pope Francis will be flying to Iraq tomorrow, amid national and international tensions, Islamic State militias and Covid-induced closures.
The head of the Church will travel the region for four days. His agenda includes high-level meetings with religious figures, particularly with the Shi’ite leader Ayatollah Al Sistani, encounters with Christian communities, the celebration of masses and visits to Christian and Islamic holy sites.
The pontifex is bent on sending a message of fraternity, dialogue, mutual respect and peaceful cooperation on preserving the dignity of human beings across the globe and the environment itself. His latest encyclical, “All Brothers,” put to writing his current endeavours.
This visit is charged with historical significance. The Iraqi Christians have been awaiting the Pope since 1999, when Saint John Paul II thought of a trip to Ur, Abraham’s city, one of the most ancient in human history. But Saddam Hussein prevented that trip. Today, in travelling to Ur and reminding us time and again that “we are all children of the same father,” Francis intends to act upon that idea.
“The Pope wants to cast a message towards the future,” said the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Archbishop Pietro Parolin. “We must act together to rebuild [war-torn Iraq], to heal all these wounds, to start anew,” When he visited Iraq himself, three years ago, Mr Parolin declared that “Christians and Muslims are called to illuminate the obscurity of fear and non-sense.”
It goes without saying that the trip will not be devoid of perils. For instance, a recent missile strike hit the international counterterrorism base in Erbil, Kurdish Iraq (where Francis will travel on his third day). Us President Joe Biden reacted by ordering a strike on the Syrian-Iraqi border.
The attack was carried out by the Shia militant group that calls itself “Guardians of Blood,” which experts believe to be a front for the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah group. It targeted the US-led base where an international coalition trains and supports Iraqi operatives and wages war to the Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) terror group.
That strike, the third out of the four most recent, happened amid heightened tensions of the geopolitical order. As the United States cautiously restores ties with Iran to negotiate in and around the JCPOA nuclear deal, Teheran is shaken by internal turmoil because of the upcoming June elections – and the extremist forces are attempting to seize upon the most delicate dossiers to prevent any form of reconciliation with Washington.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, known as Pasdaran, who refer to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are believed to make use of militias such as the Guardians of Blood to foster instability and impair any political process that might result in a power grab of the pragmatist, reformist and moderate variety. Actions include targeting US strongholds in neighbouring Iraq, as demonstrated by the Erbil bombardments.
The Pope’s trip is intended to reinforce cross-religious ties and promote the idea of peaceful relations, and thus might be perceived as threatening by extremist regional actors. However, a diplomatic source with extensive knowledge of Iraq told Formiche.net that the militias will likely avoid aggressive actions, because of the heavy repercussions. “It would be crazy, a suicide,” said the source.
Information obtained by Formiche.net reveals that the Iraqi government will oversee the general security of the Pope’s visit. It’s also a matter of “territorial sovereignty,” according to local sources, something that Baghdad “deeply cares about” because of its minor role in US-Iran tensions.
Francis will be escorted by Iraq’s “Golden Division”, aka CTS (Counter Terrorism Service), an élite division trained by Western forces. In Kurdish Iraq, the Zevarani millitarised police force and the Asayish intelligence service will provide local protection, as they usually do with high-profile foreign figures.
International and NATO forces in Iraq are not formally involved, but according to Formiche.net’s sources it is entirely possible that the Iraqi government officials might engage with their Western counterparts on the ground, who will most likely deploy surveillance drones in turn.
The Vatican’s own “core” security service will also be deployed around the pontifex, as is the case for all of his travels. Francis and his attaches are vaccinated against Covid-19, too. The Italian flagship carrier Alitalia will fly him to Baghdad and back, while the local flagship Iraqi Airways will be in charge of his local transport.
