3 sites talking about the Pope's visit ... and international companies entering Christian areas

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[size=52]3 sites talking about the Pope's visit ... and international companies entering Christian areas[/size]

[size=45]Translated by Hamid Ahmed[/size]
[size=45]Pope Francis landed on the land of Iraq, yesterday, Friday, on the first visit by a head of the Catholic Church to this country in history, defying security concerns and the circumstances of the outbreak of the Corona epidemic in order to support the country in its ordeal and give the Christian community comfort and reassurance after the suffering they have gone through. The Supreme Pontiff, who was presented to Iraq as a "pilgrim of peace," will also be in contact with Muslims in the country through his meeting with the supreme religious authority, Ali al-Sistani.[/size]
[size=45]The Pope left Rome early Friday morning on a four-day trip, his first since his commitment to stay in the Vatican papacy in 2019 after the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, where he mentioned, at the time, as if he felt locked inside the headquarters of the Vatican.[/size]
[size=45]The Pope told reporters accompanying him on the plane heading to Baghdad, "I am very happy to resume travel, and this symbolic journey I am making today to a land that has suffered from the fall of martyrs over the years."[/size]
[size=45]The plane landed at 1.55 minutes Baghdad time at Baghdad International Airport, and the Iraqi and Papuan flags of the Vatican were flying from its cabin as it was stepping on the tarmac of the airport where Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi was receiving him.[/size]
[size=45]"With love and peace, the Iraqi people and their government receive His Holiness, Pope Francis, and we affirm the depth of this human bond," Al-Kazemi said shortly before the Pope's arrival.[/size]
[size=45]While Pope Francis was vaccinated with the Corona vaccine, Iraq was restricted by a second wave of virus infection, recording more than 5,000 cases on a daily basis, which forced the authorities to impose a comprehensive ban during the Pope's visit.[/size]
[size=45]"I will try to follow the directions and not shake hands with anyone, but I don't want to stay anyway," the Pope said shortly before his visit.[/size]
[size=45]Security measures are tight in Iraq, a country that has suffered for years from wars and terrorist attacks, is still chasing ISIS militants and cells, and just two days ago, a barrage of Katyusha rockets fell on a military base.[/size]
[size=45]Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Al-Sahhaf said that the Iraqi authorities have imposed tight security measures on the ground and in the air to ensure the smooth flow of the visit.[/size]
[size=45]According to the British newspaper The Independent, reconnaissance drones were used to monitor the routes that the Pope will take in his wandering in the country, and there are explosives and anti-terrorism teams on standby, as well as the deployment of thousands of security personnel to guard him as he wanders through the six cities that will be interspersed with his three-day tour.[/size]
[size=45]The Pope will conduct more than six holy services in destroyed churches, rehabilitated stadiums and remote desert sites, where the size of attendance will be limited to maintain the aspect of social distancing.[/size]
[size=45]The Pope will travel inside Iraq on a tour covering more than 1,400 km by plane and helicopter, flying over areas where security forces are still fighting the remnants of ISIS.[/size]
[size=45]For short-distance visits on the tarmac roads, the Pope will take an armored car. The Pope’s visit means a lot to Iraqi Christians, whose number has decreased so much in the country after many years of persecution and sectarian violence that their number now does not exceed 400,000, after they were about 1.5 million people before 2003.[/size]
[size=45]On the first day, he will visit Al-Najat Church in Baghdad, where ISIS committed a massacre of Christian worshipers in 2010. On the second day, he will visit Najaf and then the city of Ur in Dhi Qar Governorate.[/size]
[size=45]Then he will visit Erbil and Nineveh Governorate, where ISIS has violated it in 2014 and forced hundreds of thousands of Christians and Yazidis to leave their areas and flee to other areas with the killing and kidnapping of thousands of them.[/size]
[size=45]On the other hand, a representative of agencies, ROACO, the charity that oversees the implementation of charitable aid projects for the Christian community in Iraq and accompanies the Pope on his visit, revealed that his visit will raise global awareness of the importance of the role that local Christians play in the country and raise the momentum of the Iraqi government's role in developing The infrastructure and providing job opportunities for the affected members of the Christian community, while attracting companies to invest in Christian areas.[/size]
[size=45]Regina Laing, the representative of Rawaco agencies for Christian charitable organizations working in the region as a project manager, Support To Gage in Ned, said that Pope Francis had expressed his hope that Iraq could face the future through the principle of tolerance and the common interests of all components of society and from different sects and religions.[/size]
[size=45]Laing said in an interview with Vatican News: "I hope that the Pope's visit will give impetus to the Iraqi government in strengthening security, developing infrastructure and providing job opportunities for the members of the religious minority who are Christians."[/size]
[size=45]Laing added, "I think in terms of providing job opportunities, Pope Francis' visit and his presence in Iraq will attract the attention of Western governments and encourage them to invest more in the development of the region and Christian areas, and thus job opportunities will increase for members of the Christian community in the country."[/size]
[size=45]And she went on to say, "For the western countries that have not invested in Iraq yet, this visit will encourage them to invest in northern Iraq, especially Christian villages and towns."[/size]
[size=45]For locations: Vatican News, Business Times, The Independent[/size]
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