Vatican: Pope to visit Iraq in March, pandemic permitting
The Vatican says Pope Francis will make a pilgrimage to Iraq in March, pandemic conditions permitting
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Pope Francis will make a pilgrimage to Iraq in March, pandemic conditions permitting, the Vatican said Monday, in announcing what would be the pontiff's first trip aboard in more than a year.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni on Monday said Francis will make the March 5-8 visit, with stops in Baghdad and the “plains of Ur, linked to the memory of Abraham,” the Biblical patriarch, as well as to the cities of Irbil, Mosul and Qaraqosh.
Bruni said the trip’s schedule will be announced later and will take into consideration “the evolution of the worldwide health emergency″ that is the COVID-19 pandemic.
It would be the first trip abroad for Francis since November 2019, when he visited Thailand and Japan. Francis turns 84 on Dec. 17.
The Vatican said Francis had accepted invitations from the Iraqi government from the local Catholic church.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.