Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq is vital to encourage Christians to stay in the country as their numbers are dwindling rapidly, the head of Iraq’s Catholic Church said on Thursday.
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans and head of the Chaldean Catholic Church, told The National the planned visit would carry messages to remind Iraqis of peace and coexistence.
“It will place an emphasis on the true meaning of brotherhood and citizenship; we are only family and it will encourage Christians to stay in the country and to integrate and build confidence between each other towards a better future. It will give hope,” Cardinal Sako said.
The government in Baghdad described the papal visit in March as a “historic event” that sends a message of peace to Iraq and the whole region.
Cardinal Sako likened the pope’s Iraq visit to the one that he embarked on in Abu Dhabi in 2019. That visit culminated in the historic declaration of fraternity and peace between nations, races and religions.
The declaration was signed the pontiff and Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar.
“The visit to Iraq comes during an exceptional time. The country is the axis of culture and religion, it is a holy land, its people have suffered a lot,” Cardinal Sako said.
The pope will send a message to Iraqis that they must “stop fighting each other” and push them to “love and help each other to build their country and live in dignity and freedom”, he said.
Pope Francis is expected to visit Baghdad, Ur, a city linked to the Old Testament figure of Abraham, as well as Erbil, Mosul and Qaraqosh in the Nineveh plains, between March 5 and 8.
It will be his first trip in more than a year after all his overseas visits were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The visit to Mosul and Qaraqosh, the biggest Christian town in the north, will be to encourage Christians to stay and to rebuild trust with their neighbours,” Cardinal Sako said.
Cardinal Sako said the pope might also visit the holy Shiite city of Najaf to meet Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, Iraq’s top Shiite cleric.
“We hope he can visit Najaf – it has an impact on the Iraqi situation and also because of the place of Najaf and its authority. The authorities in Najaf are welcoming the idea,” he said.
There only about 500,000 Christians left in Iraq following sectarian warfare after the 2003 US-led invasion and the seizure of a third of the country by the extremist group ISIS in 2014.
“The situation is getting better, there are no attacks against Christians, but the situation is bad for all Iraqis,” he said.
Christianity in Iraq dates back to the first century of the Christian era, when the apostles Thomas and Thaddeus are believed to have preached the Gospel on the fertile flood plains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Cardinal Sako, 72, was born in Zakho in northern Iraq and has played a central role in interfaith dialogue in the country.
The College of Cardinals forms the senior ecclesiastical leadership of the Catholic Church, offering counsel to the pope and electing his successor.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
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UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
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- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
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MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
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Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
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*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The Bloomberg Billionaire Index in full
1 Jeff Bezos $140 billion
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