Pope Francis, who visited Iraq for the first time in its 2,000-year Catholic history, called for an end to violence and extremism.
According to foreign media, Pope Francis arrived at Baghdad International Airport, the capital of Iraq, by private flight around 2 pm local time on the 5th.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Qadhimi met the Pope in front of a private plane.
Pope Francis, who met with senior Iraqi officials such as President Bahram Saleh at the presidential palace, urged that “violence, extremism, faction, and intolerant behavior must be stopped.”
“No one should be considered a second-class citizen,” the Pope said. “Every religious person in Iraq has the right to be protected like a Shiite Muslim.”
He added, “The existence of long-time Christians in this land is a rich heritage,” he added. “Please think of religious minorities as a valuable resource to be protected, not an obstacle to be eliminated.”
The world’s oldest Christian society in Iraq was 1 million to 1.4 million people in 2003, but it is known that the number has decreased to 300,000 to 400,000 people now due to the war, civil war, and attacks by the Islamic extremist terrorist group IS (Islamic State).
The Pope will visit the Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation this afternoon to meet Iraqi Christian leaders and believers.
The Pope plans to visit Baghdad, Najaf, Ur, Erbil, Mosul, and Bakhdida for 3 nights and 4 days until the 8th. In Najaf, he plans to meet the Muslim Shiite leader Ali Alsistani.
[저작권자(c) YTN & YTN plus 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]
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