Iraq News

Iraq officially invites Pope Francis to visit

President Barham Saleh has sent an official invitation to Pope Francis to visit Iraq after the pontiff said he would like to travel to the Muslim country despite security conditions, AFP reported Friday (June 21st).

Earlier this month Francis said "I want to go next year" to Iraq, which has been a battleground for competing forces, including the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) and Iran-backed militias.

"Your holiness' visit will be an opportunity to remind and enlighten Iraq and the world that this land gave humanity its first laws, irrigated agriculture and a legacy of co-operation among people" of different religions, Saleh said in the letter.

Saleh said he hoped the visit would be "a milestone in the healing process and Iraq can once more be a peaceful land where the mosaic of religions and faiths can live together in harmony again as they did for millenia".

Francis has made boosting ties between Christianity and Islam a cornerstone of his papacy.

He has this year visited Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Morocco.

The pope had already visited several Muslim countries in previous years, including Turkey in 2014, Azerbaijan in 2016 and Egypt in 2017.

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