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Pope Francis in Land of Abraham: ‘Violence is Betrayal of Religion’

Currents News Staff

This song from the book of Genesis marked the start of the interreligious meeting in Ur of the Chaldeans, where the patriarch Abraham, father of the three monotheistic religions, makes his first appearance in the bible. Then this part of the Quran was intoned.

Ur is considered the common place of origin of Christians, Jews and Muslims. That’s why the pope chose this place for an interreligious meeting. During the event, these two young men shared their testimony, showing that being from different religions doesn’t make friendship impossible.

“Our story shows that we can work together and that we can be friends,” Hasan said.

“We would like many other Iraqi people to make the same experience,” said Dawood. “We don’t want war and violence and hatred.”

In the middle of the war, Rafah, a Mandaean woman, witnessed her children, brothers and relatives fleeing. But she says the tragedy strengthened the bonds between those who stayed.

“Together we subsist through the war’s ruins on the same soil,” said Rafah Husein Baher. “Our blood was mixed. Together we tasted the bitterness of the embargo. We have the same identity.”

From the land of Abraham, source of faith, the Holy Father said that “God is merciful and that the greatest blasphemy is to profane his name by hating our brothers and sisters.”

“Hostility, extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart: they are betrayals of religion,” the pontiff said. “We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion; indeed, we are called unambiguously to dispel all misunderstandings.”

To conclude the meeting, representatives of the three monotheistic religions joined together for the Prayer of the Sons and Daughters of Abraham.

Pope Francis’ ‘Emblematic’ Trip to Iraq Is ‘Welcoming, Joyful’

Currents News Staff and Inés San Martín

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Crux) — On his flight Friday to Baghdad for a March 5-8 historic visit to Iraq, Pope Francis told journalists that this is an “emblematic” trip and that is also a “duty” to visit this “land martyred for so many years.”

His comments came as he greeted the 74 journalists from 13 nations flying with him from Rome to Baghdad, before proceeding to thank each reporter individually, while wearing a facemask and keeping a social distance due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

[Related: In Iraq, Pope Francis Condemns ‘Murder, Exile, Terrorism, and Oppression’ in the Name of Religion]

Both the pope and all those traveling with him on the Alitalia flight were inoculated against the coronavirus ahead of the apostolic visit, the first in 15 months.

Though he didn’t answer questions from reporters — he never does during an inbound flight, though he sometimes makes some comments to journalists — he did receive several gifts, most of which were related to the visit, including the documents compiled for the martyrdom cause of the 48 men, women and children murdered Oct. 31, 2010, by five terrorists in the Syro-Catholic cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation.

The pope is expected to visit this cathedral later on Friday, to meet with bishops, priests, religious, seminarians, and catechists.

He also received several documents detailing ISIS atrocities, including the prize they put on human beings when selling them as slaves.

Pope Francis arrived in Iraq, where he will visit six cities in three days, amidst security concerns in a country ravaged by years of war, the constant threat of terrorism, and during a global pandemic that forced him to cancel or heavily restrict the attendance to most of his public engagements in the past year.

In July 2019, Iraqi President Barham Salih invited the pope, hoping that a papal visit would help the country heal after decades of conflict, beginning with the U.S. led invasion in 2003, followed by the rise of jihadist extremist, including Islamic State (ISIS), that perpetrated genocide against the country’s minorities, including Christians and Yazidis, between 2014 and 2017.

Today, Iraq is grappling with political, economic, and social instability, and throughout the country, anti-government protesters rallied most of the week leading up to the papal visit.

Despite the challenges, local media speaks of a society happy to welcome the pope, even if government-mandated restrictions mean the opportunities to see him live, even if just passing by in the popemobile, are close to zero. During the visit, Pope Francis is expected to move in a closed vehicle, probably armored, with the exception of when he is inside a 40,000-seat stadium where he will say Mass for 10,000 local faithful.

However, the pontiff decided to go ahead with the visit because he believed the Iraqis wills still appreciate him being there, even if they can only see he’s visiting historic places such as the plain of Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, through their TVs.

The pontiff has a busy schedule ahead: on Friday he’s meeting civil authorities at the presidential and the local religious community in the Syro-Catholic cathedral where 48 Catholics were martyred during Mass in 2010.

On Saturday he’s going to Najaf, a holy city for Shite Islam, where he will meet Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Later that morning, he will lead an interreligious prayer in the ruins of the City of Ur, considered the birthplace of Abraham, father of believers. Lastly, on Saturday, he will become the first pope to celebrate Mass in the Chaldean Catholic rite.

On Sunday, the last full day of his visit, he will focus his attention almost exclusively on the embattled Christian community, visiting the Nineveh Plain, including the cities of Qaraqosh and Mosul — both decimated by ISIS — and celebrate Mass for 10,000 people in a stadium in Erbil, capital of the northern autonomous region of Kurdistan.

He flies back to Rome in the early morning.

High Expectations

Archbishop Amel Nona, Chaldean Catholic bishop of Australia and New Zealand and former Archbishop of Mosul until 2014 when he was forced to flee due to the threats of ISIS, said that the papal visit to Iraq is a very important one for the local Christian community, that has “long felt abandoned by everyone.”

“Their future is not very clear,” he told Crux ahead of the visit. “The reason is because of the situation of Iraq in general, but the pope’s visit represents a support and message of hope for their presence in Mesopotamia.”

Christians, he added, have suffered a lot in this country, particularly in the past decades, hence their need for some words of support.

Nona also said that the visit is very important for the country as a whole, “as we know that the situation is very bad from many points of view: politically, economically, corruption-wise and social justice.”

“We hope Pope Francis’ visit can change a bit the hearts of leaders and those in power to change this situation,” he said.

Even though the pope himself said he’s going to Iraq as a “penitential pilgrim,” asking God’s forgiveness for years of war, persecution, and destruction, and as a “pilgrim of peace,” hoping to remind people that they are all siblings, the trip is politically loaded too.

Italian Cardinal Fernando Filoni, a former papal representative in Iraq during the 2003 invasion — strongly condemned by then Pope John Paul II — played a key role in stopping the military incursion. He even attempted to mediate between the U.S. and Great Britain and Saddam Hussein.

“The entire Iraqi community suffered” with the bombardments, Cardinal Filoni said in a pre-trip interview. He is one of the prelates flying with the pope. Back in 2003, he was the only Western ambassador to remain in Iraq.

Churches and the seminary remained open during the worst of the bombardment, he said, ready to welcome those who needed refuge.

“We knew that it was a war founded in lies,” he told the Italian newspaper Il Messagero. “Everything the [Hussein] regime was accused of did not exist,” including chemical weapons and those of mass destruction.

The Holy See, he said, matured the decision to try to convince both sides — he mentions U.S. and Hussein — to reach an agreement to avoid the worst. The Iraqi leader was ready to negotiate, with his one request, according to Filoni, being that he was not humiliated: “He too, was ready for a change,” the cardinal said.

Cardinal Filoni also said that for John Paul II the war in Iraq “was an enormous suffering,” and he encouraged the nunciature to hand out aid to anyone who asked, without discriminating. Cardinal Filoni was in Iraq from 2001 to 2006.

Cardinal Filoni, who recently released a book on the Catholic Church in Iraq, defined the papal trip as a “dream come true,” and one that has long been a hoped destination for popes, including John Paul II, who had every intention of going in 1999. But according to the cardinal, that trip was not possible due to Shiite militias that made it impossible for the local government to guarantee the pope’s safety.

Though Pope Francis is not expected to single out the U.S. during the visit, it is possible that he addressed the international community’s responsibility in Iraq’s ongoing crisis and instability, particularly because the pope and the cardinal were sat close to one another during the 4.3-hour flight from Rome to Baghdad.

 

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, 3/5/21

On a special edition of Currents News: Pope in Iraq. The Holy Father in the land of Abraham, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. A first for any pontiff.

He’s on a mission to bring hope and peace to a dwindling Christian population – appealing to Muslims for brotherhood.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, 3/5/21

On a special edition of Currents News: Pope in Iraq. The Holy Father in the land of Abraham, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. A first for any pontiff.

He’s on a mission to bring hope and peace to a dwindling Christian population – appealing to Muslims for brotherhood.

Pope Francis Visits Cathedral Where Catholics Were Martyred on Day One of Historic Iraq Trip

By Emily Drooby

A historic moment as the Holy Father descended the stairs of the papal plane and became the first pope to ever set foot in Iraq.

“I am happy to resume my trips,” Pope Francis said while on a plane full of reporters, “and this is an emblematic trip, a duty to this land so martyred for so many years.”

The pope risked both his physical safety and his health, committed to offering hope to the country’s dwindling Christian community plagued by years of war and persecution.

Pope Francis was greeted by dancing, music and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.

The crowds that usually line the streets for a chance to catch a glimpse at the Holy Father were missing due to a pandemic safety measure put into place to avoid spreading COVID-19.

On his busy first day, Pope Francis visited with Iraq President, Barham Salih at the presidential palace. Salih is who initially invited the Holy Father to Iraq back in 2019.

While at the palace, Pope Francis gave his first speech of the trip. In it, he laid out a path to peace which included international support with vaccine distributions; eliminating the idea of second-class citizens; and asking Iraq to be an example for the rest of the Middle East that coexistence is possible.

“Iraq today is called to show everyone, especially in the Middle East, that diversity, instead of giving rise to conflict, should lead to harmonious cooperation in the life of society,” said Pope Francis. (This is a translation).

Pope Francis completed his first day at the Syro-Catholic Cathedral of our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad which is the site of one of the worst massacres against Christians. The 2010 attack was by terrorists from the Islamic State that happened during evening Mass. Fifty-eight people were killed – 48 of them were Catholic people composed of women, children and priests.

Translated to English, Pope Francis said, “We are gathered in this Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation, hallowed by the blood of our brothers and sisters who here paid the ultimate price of their fidelity to the Lord and his Church.”

The Holy Father called their deaths a reminder that violence isn’t compatible with authentic religious teaching. The cause for canonization is underway for the 48 Catholics martyred in the attack.

New Jersey Family Travels to Help Texas After Winter Storm

By Jessica Easthope

Their last moments together as a family are precious. Kisha Pinnock, her husband Andrew Mitchell and brother Isaiah were in Texas for eight days giving up their time and money to help after the storm.

“At any moment the tables could have turned and it could have been me in New Jersey who needed help,” said Kisha.

Now after a quick two days back home in New Jersey, they’re headed down to Texas again, this time for two weeks and without Kisha and Andrew’s two-year-old son, Blake.

“We’re going back with a plan with a mission with goals that we need to set and with a strategic vision so that we can get this Texas problem taken care of,” said Andrew.

Kisha, Andrew and Isaiah saw firsthand the damage done by a surge of winter weather that pummeled the state with snow and ice, leaving people in desperation.

“Some people have to repair their ceiling so people have to repair the floors have to rip up the carpet and throw out their entire furniture in the living room,” Kisha said.

Andrew got his plumber’s license days before the storm hit. With pipe’s bursting, homes flooding and freezing, he saw the call for help on Facebook and in a moment’s notice they packed and drove down to Texas without stopping. In less than 24 hours they were ready to work.

They took every and any job they could, charging people only what they could afford – even when the task at hand seemed impossible.

“We were in crawlspaces where people were insulating their pipes with newspaper we seen some plumbing that was so poorly done that the people actually had waste from the toilet and stuff like that just dump underneath their house,” Isaiah said.

Building a community in need back up was always the goal.

“The one cornerstone thing I know about faith is that it’s all love, and to just be able to extend love and compassion to people it’s just what gets me going,” said Isaiah.

Now Kisha, an attorney and St. John’s graduate, Isaiah a Seton Hall student and Andrew a fully licensed plumber are starting the Pinnock-Mitchell Texas Relief Foundation.

“Sometimes God uses you to bless other people and I definitely think that He is using us,” said Kisha.

They already have their work cut out for them, and they won’t stop until everyone in need is taken care of.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday, 3/4/21

We are one day away from the Pope’s trip to Iraq.

The Holy Father is sending Iraqis a message ahead of the journey – he wants to bring hope and peace to the country.

The cardinal in Iraq says the country has already changed after just hearing about the papal trip.

Hundreds of Thousands, Regardless of Faith, Are Waiting to See Pope Francis in Iraq

By Currents News Staff and Inés San Martín 

ROME (Crux) – Pope Francis is set to become the first pontiff to set a foot in Iraq on March 5, when he lands in Baghdad after a four-hour trip from Rome.

Between the threat of terrorism and the global COVID-19 pandemic, many have wondered why not postpone the trip.

“I don’t hide from you the fact that I have concerns for the pope’s visit,” said historian-turned-war blogger Omar Mohammed, who wrote daily dispatches from Mosul while his city was occupied by ISIS. “I am worried that the pro-Iranian militias will use the visit, as well as the pope’s meeting with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani as an excuse to justify their crimes in Iraq.”

The man behind “Mosul Eye,” a blog that he is still running, risked his life on a daily basis to let the world know what was happening, and he says he would do it all again.

“I believe I didn’t risk enough, even when I am still at risk,” he told Crux from an undisclosed European location. “But there are more than 18 million people under the age of 25 in Iraq, and they deserve every sacrifice. Jesus died when he was very young because he believed in sacrificing himself so humanity could survive. I agree with this.”

Mohammed is not a Christian, yet by his own admission, “I love the pope, I watch him every day, and as I speak with you about him, I am about to cry … He’s going to my city, a city that I cannot go back to. And his words are a balm to my heart: Love, by its nature, creative. (cries) That is the message that we want, that our deeply wounded hearts and souls need.”

[Related: Analysis: In Iraq, Pope Can Deepen Ties With Church’s Natural Islamic Partners]

According to Sangar Kahleel, an Erbil-based Kurd born in Mosul who works as a fixer for international news outlets, it is true that there are many risks ahead of the visit.

“But we as Iraqis really appreciate this historical visit from the pope,” he told Crux. “I think he is coming to plant the seed of peace in this country which really deserves it. We also hope that Christians will find strength and stability after the visit, because the number of Christians living here goes down every month.”

Kahleel said Iraqis have high expectations for the papal trip.

“We hope that with the pope’s visit, peace will be built between all people in Iraq, so we go back to the amazing days when all of us lived together, loving one another and making no differentiations among peoples,” he said.

Alberto Miguel Fernandez, a Cuban-American former diplomat who now serves as the vice president of the Middle East Media Research Institute, said Iraq is a country in a “deeply extreme crisis, in every sense of the word: Politically, economically, socially. But this has been the case for years. I believe it is logical and incredibly good that the Holy Father is going, in this moment. It is a trip that requires a lot of courage and solidarity.”

On the COVID threat, he noted that as recent as in early February, Iraq was welcoming the head of the judicial branch of Iran, who is a cleric, and who held several large religious meetings with “massive attendance.”

Coronavirus is a reality in Iraq, “a great disaster, but I read Arabic and there is great interest, not only from Christians, but also from Muslims, in the pope’s visit. I find it strange that foreigners are complaining about COVID in Iraq when the locals are so excited.”

Much like Mohammed and Kahleel, the diplomat has many reasons to defend the timing for the trip, including the future of Christianity in Iraq.

“The reality is that the Christian community in Iraq is a crisis right now,” Fernandez said. “[The pope’s] presence today in support of this community that is very battered for various reasons, not only the terrorism of the so-called Islamic State, but the militias, these mafias, religious parties linked to Iran that really affect the survival of Christians, is really encouraging.”

“It is, I believe, a very opportune moment for his visit,” he said. “In political terms, it is more urgent and timelier today than it will be in six months or a year from now. Because then the question becomes, can the Christian community survive that long” without the pope’s encouragement?

The problem Christians face in Iraq is linked to two things: The security situation and the economic survival of these communities. Today, they have no security whatsoever: When he goes to Qaraqosh, Pope Francis will visit the largest church in Iraq in a region – the Nineveh Plain – historically linked to Christianity. Yet today, there are pro-Iranian Shiite militias marauding the plain every day.

“What the Islamic State did before is what these militias are doing today,” Fernandez told Crux. “They are death squads, and not only against Christians, but also against Muslims.”

The Holy Father will also visit Ur, which is near Nasiriyah, a city in the south of the country where these militias and security forces are assassinating young Shiite Muslims who have been protesting against the government.

These protests have also been replicated in Baghdad, the country’s capital, and pictures show thousands gathered over the weekend defying a COVID-19 lockdown to demonstrate against government corruption and economic stagnation.

But beyond giving hope to the embattled Christian community, Fernandez said, the pontiff can also bring hope to the majority of Muslims who support living together with people of other faiths.

“You will find a public very interested in that message that says yes, I am here for the Christians of Iraq, but I express my solidarity with all Iraqis, of all ethnic and religious groups who suffer because they are poor, marginalized, those being oppressed,” he said.

Dominican Father Olivier Poquillon noted “there is some instability and some weaknesses in the system, but the security situation is not worse than it has been in the past.”

In the Middle East, he told Crux, when one wants to honor a person, you don’t invite them over for a visit, like the president of the United States does when he invites someone to the White House: There, you go and visit that person.

“And if a member of your family is suffering, it is a social duty to visit that person,” the Dominican explained. “And by visiting Iraq, a suffering member of the human family, the pope is giving testimony of the mercy of God for humanity.”

As the Nation Prepares for the Pope’s Visit Iraqi Christians Reflect on Years of Strife, Persecution

Currents News Staff

In a stadium in Erbil, Iraq, rehearsals are underway for Pope Francis’ upcoming visit.

Christianity’s roots run deep there, but the population is dwindling.

As ISIS mortar killed four-year-old David Shmas in 2014 outside his home in Qaraqosh.

His mother, Dhoha, sees no point in staying.

“If someone will take us away, I’ll be the first one to emigrate,” she told Currents News.

Over the last century, revolutions, chaos, oppression and intolerance have driven many Christians abroad.

In the last 20 years however, it’s gone from bad to worse, culminating in ISIS’s reign of terror.

The group gave Christians a choice: pay a tax on non-Muslims, convert, flee or die.

Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil Bashar Warda says the Muslim majority in the Middle East remains indifferent to the plight of minorities, and says Iraq’s diversity is fast disappearing.

“What frightens me is that during this period no one has asked what we, for example, have lost, when we have a declining number of the Mandaeans, and now Yezidis, Christians,” he explained.

Twenty-one years ago, Sabah Zaitoun moved to Sweden, but is back in Erbil for a visit. Those who have left, he says, have left for good.

“I don’t think anyone will return from Europe,” Sabah said. “That would be difficult.” 

This will be the first time a pope has stepped foot in this land where Christians and so many others have suffered so much, for so long. Their voices, they hope, finally being heard.