On March 5th, Pope Francis travelled to Iraq, cradle of the civilization arisen between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, Abraham’s land of origin and significant place for the three great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II had planned to visit this country, but its authorities did not allow him and he had to suspend this trip; so Pope Francis has been the first Pontiff to travel to Iraq. He undertook his journey defining himself as a “pilgrim and penitent” aiming to bring to this people, who have suffered so much, the message of hope and brotherhood springing from the Gospel and to meet the martyred Church of this country.
The trip, prepared in every detail, took place in an environment that, humanly speaking, we would define as unfavorable, due to the health situation that imposed restrictions on the participation of the people, but God’s Providence allowed everything to happen without incident and the visit left an indelible mark, not only on Christians but on the entire Iraqi community.
In this country where several religions coexist and that has been the scene of various conflicts, one of the aspects the Pope insisted on a lot, is the need of reconciliation and peace. Comparing the mosaic of religious confessions that characterizes this country with a carpet whose beauty is reflected by the interlacing threads of different colors (carpets are a typical handicraft of this area of the Middle East), the Holy Father reaffirmed that «the various components ethnic and religious can find the way of reconciliation and peaceful coexistence and collaboration” only if they have a strong willingness to dialogue.
In the Eucharistic celebration in the Chaldean rite that the Pope presided in the Cathedral of Baghdad, he commented the text of the Beatitudes and made clear that Christians are called to work for peace together with believers of other religions, sowing seeds of reconciliation and fraternal coexistence in order to revive hope. And he entrusted this task above all, to the young people continually tested in their patience by all they have lived and live in their land so that, together with the elderly, they may cultivate the goodness and give hope to the Iraqi people; they should do it day after day because “the world changes with the witness of each moment” embodying Jesus’ wisdom.
Fixing our gaze on Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq, we cannot fail to value his ability to integrate his message into the country’s cultural reality and to underline the aspects that unite rather than those that separate. The reference to the carpet craftsmanship and the wisdom cultivation that characterize the Iraqi people, as well as the celebration in the Chaldean rite that he presided, perhaps without understanding gestures and words but valuing them, are a warm embrace and a significant testimony to the world. The country’s authorities have already received the message and, as a first gesture, in memory of the historic meeting between Pope Francis and Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, one of the main Shiite religious leaders, they have declared March 6th as the National Day of Tolerance and Coexistence.
The Iraqi land is a little bit the motherland of all our cultures… May our globalized world, where, too often, differences are at the origin of conflicts, learn from this historical event a great life lesson still valid for all.
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