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Pope Francis left Iraq on Monday, bringing the curtain down on the 33rd apostolic journey of his pontificate, and the first visit of a ponriff to the Middle Eastern country. After celebrating Mass in private at the Apostolic Nunciature, he left for Baghdad’s international airport after bidding farewell to the staff and friends at the nunciature.
Awaiting him at the airport were President Barham Salih and his wife. After a brief private meeting with Salih at the VIP lounge, the Holy Father was accompanied by him over the red carpet to the steps of the aircraft where he greeted Iraqi and Vatican delegations before boarding the plane. An Alitalia aircraft carrying him, his entourage and reporters flew out of the Iraqi capital at 9:54 am local time. He is expected to land in Rome at 12:45 pm, after a flight of a little over 5 hours.
The 4-day foreign visit, which began on Friday, came after a gap of a little over 15 months, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. His last international trip was to Thailand and Japan in November 2019. During the 4 days in Iraq, Pope Francis made Baghdad has base from Baghdad from where he flew to Najaf, Ur, Erbil, Mosul and Qaraqosh.
In the spirit of the motto of the apostolic journey - “You are all brothers” – from Matthew’s Gospel, the 84-year-old Pope encouraged Iraqis on this path, saying that only when they learn to look beyond their differences and see each other as members of the same human family will they be able to begin an effective process of rebuilding the country. Thus, they will leave future generations a better, more just and more humane world.
The Pope’s visit has a great significance not only for Iraq but also for the entire Middle East region, especially for Syria. In the footsteps of Christ, the Good Shepherd, the heart of the pastor of the Universal Church went out to seek his sheep, bruised and battered by sectarian strife and terrorism. Caressing them, he assured them they are not forgotten.
