The Vatican released the itinerary of Pope Francis’ March visit to Iraq on Monday. The schedule, packed with events and meetings with religious and political figures across the country, reveals a trip with two missions: to highlight the plight of the country’s dwindling Christian population and to promote interfaith dialogue. 

The March 5-8 trip will be Francis’ first foreign outing in 16 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. His touchdown at Baghdad International Airport comes amid an uptick of new coronavirus cases in the country, growing influence of armed groups and a pair of bombings in Baghdad claimed by the Islamic State. The Catholic leader says now is the time to extend a visit to some of the oldest Christian communities in the world. 

“In our time, interreligious dialogue is an important component of the encounter between peoples and cultures,” Francis told ambassadors of the Holy See, the government of the Catholic Church, on Monday. “When it is viewed not in terms of compromising our own identity but as an occasion for mutual understanding and enrichment, dialogue can become an opportunity for religious leaders and the followers of different confessions, and can support the responsible efforts of political leaders to promote the common good.”

Two years ago, Francis announced plans to visit Iraq by 2020, but the plan was halted as the coronavirus began to spread.