In his first trip outside of Italy since the start of the pandemic, Pope Francis traveled to Iraq on Friday for a three-day pilgrimage (watch above). The historic journey to the war-torn country underscores Francis’ willingness to engage on matters of war and peace.

“I am coming as a pilgrim, as a penitent pilgrim, to implore from the Lord forgiveness and reconciliation after years of war and terrorism, to beg from God the consolation of hearts and the healing of wounds,” Francis said in a message to Iraq’s citizens broadcast on Wednesday night.

Critics call the papal visit premature; there’s been a recent spike in Iraq’s covid cases and terrorism remains a persistent issue. But Francis told reporters that he felt a “duty toward a country that has been martyred for so many years.

 

Iraq’s “martyr church,” is a theme of the trip. Since the U.S. led a military invasion into the country in 2003, over one million Christians have fled. Approximately 250,000 remain. The Wall Street Journal explains why Christians feel like an imperiled minority:

Christian leaders say that official and unofficial discrimination makes Christians and other minorities second-class citizens in the country, which is 98.5% Muslim. Under Iraqi law, conversion from Islam to other religions is prohibited, Muslim women may not marry non-Muslims, and children of Christian mothers and Muslim fathers must be registered as Muslims.

On Friday, Francis’s motorcade was escorted to Baghdad’s presidential palace by security personnel on horseback. Once there, Francis delivered a speech highlighting the plight of Christians in Iraqi society:

“It is essential to ensure the participation of all political, social and religious groups and to guarantee the fundamental rights of all citizens. May no one be considered a second-class citizen,” he said.

Francis is scheduled to give another speech on Friday night at Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad. In 2010, an Al Qaeda affiliate waged a prolonged terror attack on the Catholic cathedral, killing 58 people.