Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday for his historic four-day visit to the Middle East nation. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Iraq and Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was to promote peace, tolerance and equality in the troubled nation. Caption: Pope Francis waves to people from his car as he arrives in Baghdad on March 5. (CNS photo/Thaier Al-Sudani, Reuters)
Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday for his historic four-day visit to the Middle East nation. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Iraq and Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was to promote peace, tolerance and equality in the troubled nation. Caption: Pope Francis is greeted by children as arrives at Baghdad International Airport on March 5. (CNS photo/Vatican Media via Reuters)
Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday for his historic four-day visit to the Middle East nation. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Iraq and Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was to promote peace, tolerance and equality in the troubled nation. Caption: A boy holds flowers as he attends a welcoming ceremony for Pope Francis at the presidential palace in Baghdad. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday for his historic four-day visit to the Middle East nation. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Iraq and Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was to promote peace, tolerance and equality in the troubled nation. Caption: People cheer as Pope Francis arrives for a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Baghdad on March 5. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday for his historic four-day visit to the Middle East nation. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Iraq and Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was to promote peace, tolerance and equality in the troubled nation. Caption: Pope Francis receives flowers from children during a welcoming ceremony with Iraqi President Barham Salih at the presidential palace in Baghdad on March 5. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday for his historic four-day visit to the Middle East nation. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Iraq and Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was to promote peace, tolerance and equality in the troubled nation. Caption: Pope Francis and Iraqi President Barham Salih attend a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Baghdad on March 5. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday for his historic four-day visit to the Middle East nation. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Iraq and Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was to promote peace, tolerance and equality in the troubled nation. Caption: Pope Francis walks alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi as he arrives at Baghdad International Airport on March 5. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday for his historic four-day visit to the Middle East nation. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Iraq and Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was to promote peace, tolerance and equality in the troubled nation. Caption: Pope Francis accepts flowers during a meeting with bishops, priests, religious men and women, seminarians and catechists in the Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance in Baghdad on March 5. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday for his historic four-day visit to the Middle East nation. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Iraq and Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was to promote peace, tolerance and equality in the troubled nation. Caption: Pope Francis arrives for a meeting with bishops, priests, religious men and women, seminarians and catechists in the Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance in Baghdad on March 5. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday for his historic four-day visit to the Middle East nation. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Iraq and Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was to promote peace, tolerance and equality in the troubled nation. Caption: Pope Francis leads a meeting with bishops, priests, religious men and women, seminarians and catechists in the Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance in Baghdad on March 5. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday for his historic four-day visit to the Middle East nation. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Iraq and Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was to promote peace, tolerance and equality in the troubled nation. Caption: Young girls watch near security personnel after Pope Francis' meeting with bishops, priests, religious men and women, seminarians and catechists in the Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance in Baghdad on March 5. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday for his historic four-day visit to the Middle East nation. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Iraq and Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was to promote peace, tolerance and equality in the troubled nation. Caption: Pope Francis signs a book with a message for Syriac Catholics at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance in Baghdad on March 5. Also pictured, from left: Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, Syriac Catholic Archbishop Ephrem Yousif Mansoor Abba of Baghdad and Chaldean Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad. (CNS photo/Vatican Media via Reuters)
Pope Francis and Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of Shiite Islam's most authoritative figures, meet during a courtesy visit in Najaf, Iraq, March 6, 2021. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra takes a photo as a Vatican delegation tours what is believed to be the home of Abraham at the ruins of the ancient city of Ur before Pope Francis' interreligious meeting on the plain of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq, March 6, 2021. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Pope Francis is pictured with religious leaders during an interreligious meeting on the plain of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq, March 6, 2021. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Francis receives a gift during an interreligious meeting on the plain of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq, March 6, 2021. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Pope Francis smiles as he arrives to celebrate Mass at St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in Baghdad March 6, 2021. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
People cheer as Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass at St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in Baghdad March 6, 2021. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Girls hold Iraqi flags as Pope Francis participates in a memorial prayer for the victims of the war at Hosh al-Bieaa (church square) in Mosul, Iraq, March 7, 2021. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Francis participates in a memorial prayer for the victims of the war at Hosh al-Bieaa (church square) in Mosul, Iraq, March 7, 2021. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Francis arrives to visit the community at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, Iraq, March 7, 2021. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Francis blesses a child as he greets people with disabilities during a visit to the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, Iraq, March 7, 2021. (CNS photo/Vatican Media via Reuters)
People sing and cheer as they wait for Pope Francis to celebrate Mass at Franso Hariri Stadium in Irbil, Iraq, March 7, 2021. (CNS photo/Azad Lashkari, Reuters)
Members of the military attend Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at Franso Hariri Stadium in Irbil, Iraq, March 7, 2021. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Francis greets the crowd as he arrives to celebrate Mass at Franso Hariri Stadium in Irbil, Iraq, March 7, 2021. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
