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Pope heads for Iraq in historic first

The pope will land in Iraq tomorrow for a three-day pilgrimage.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein holds a press conference at the Babylon Hotel in the capital Baghdad, on March 4, 2021, on the eve of the first papal visit to Iraq. - Pope Francis begins a historic 4-day trip to war-scarred Iraq on March 5, defying security concerns and the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Sabah ARAR / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Sabah ARAR has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [March 4] instead of [February 4]. Please im

For the first time in history, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, Pope Francis, will visit Iraq March 5-8.

“Tomorrow I will go to Iraq for a three-day pilgrimage,” the pope tweeted today. “I have long wanted to meet those people who have suffered so much.” Iraqis have also been waiting a long time for this moment.

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