The Catholic Church in the Philippines follows with great attention the visit of Pope Francis in Iraq in this special time of the 500 years of Christianity in the country. The Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)- Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue takes this occasion to encourage all in the different parts of the country to move with the same spirit of Pope Francis who from March 5-8 will visit Iraq.
We are encouraged to listen what Pope Francis will tell to the Muslims of Iraq. The message that he will bring is taken from Matthew 23:8, “YOU ARE ALL BROTHERS”. The spirit of this quotation of the Gospel of Matthew 23:8 is the same as the spirit of the international day of “Human Fraternity” addressed to all people of different cultures and religions. This is the special mission that we are called to promote in all places from the north and south of our country especially during this special year in the Philippines. This spirit does not have limits of religions and cultures as it is one of the biggest challenges that we are invited to embrace in this special time of the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.
To understand more the importance of this historical event, we add here some additional information taken from Harriet Sherwood (view full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/01/first-ever-papal-visit-to-iraq-to-go-ahead-despite-covid-and-terrorism-fears).
Despite the twin threats of Covid-19 and terrorism, the first ever papal visit to Iraq is due to begin on Friday, during which Francis will meet beleaguered Christian communities and one of the world’s most influential Muslim leaders.
For 84-year-old Pope Francis, it will be his first trip abroad for 15 months as the pandemic has curtailed his movements. New COVID restrictions came into effect in Iraq last week, with overnight curfews and a full three-day lockdown at weekends, as daily recorded cases doubled in less than a week.
The Iraqi government has promised high security during the three-day visit to six cities. Although bombings and other violent attacks have abated in recent years, at least 32 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a twin suicide bombing at a Baghdad market last month.
“The visit entails risks, and the pope is taking the risks because he sees himself as a pastor, as a father, as one who goes to whoever is in difficulty. As for security, I believe the Iraqi government will take all the measures to ensure the visit is tranquil,” Cardinal Leonardo Sandri of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Oriental Churches told America magazine.
Pope Francis’s 33rd visit abroad in his eight years at the head of the Roman Catholic Church will begin in Baghdad with a ceremony at the presidential palace and a meeting with president Barham Salih and prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. The pontiff will also meet bishops, priests and others at the city’s Syro-Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation.
In February 2019, Francis and sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb, the grand imam of Cairo’s al-Azhar mosque and the leading figure in Sunni Islam signed a historic declaration of fraternity in Abu Dhabi.
For Iraq’s small Christian community, the highlight of the trip will be Francis’s visit to the north of the country. Thousands of Christians in the area were killed under the rule of Islamic State between 2014 and 2017, and hundreds of thousands more fled their homes in the face of violence and persecution.
Francis will visit the cities of Erbil, Mosul and Qaraqosh to meet people now trying to rebuild their communities and churches. In Mosul, the pope will pray at a memorial for victims of Islamic State, and in Qaraqosh, he will visit the Saint Mary al-Tahira Cathedral, which is being repaired after looting and damage caused by Islamic State fighters.
In Erbil, a mass is scheduled to take place at a football stadium, where numbers will be limited and contact details of all those attending taken.
“He is coming to be face to face, to show us he cares about us,” Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda, who leads the Chaldean Catholic community in Erbil,
Thousands of Christian refugees fled to Erbil, where they were offered shelter, Warda said. “We’ve learned from this experience about sharing, generosity. The evilness of Isis has limited some of the life of the community, but God has opened other doors with love and generosity.”
According to Sandi, Francis wants “to bring consolation, closeness, fraternity, openness, friendship to these people that have suffered so much and to the Catholic church and the Catholic Christians of this land who have suffered in a way that has left them decimated.”
Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, PIME
Executive Secretary
CBCP- Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue