Pope Receives Kazimi: Meeting Strengthens Iraq’s Standing

In continuation of the developed bilateral relations between the Vatican City and Iraq, and during his European tour, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kazimi met, Friday at the Vatican, Pope Francis II.

Al-Kazimi once again praised the Pope’s historic visit to Iraq, which included a message of support for the country of Mesopotamia and a confirmation of the unity of humanity in the aspiration to peace and coexistence and to stand against extremism in all its forms.

He reiterated the Iraqi government’s commitment to work to instill Iraqi Christians and other minorities in their lands as a fundamental part of the fabric of their communities, and to facilitate the return of displaced persons and migrants to their areas of origin. The government also works to urge Iraqi church authorities to activate their humanitarian activities, especially educational and health activities.

Al-Kazimi explained that Baghdad is proceeding with the reconstruction of the ancient churches destroyed by ISIS terrorist gangs, in addition to striving to rebuild the city of Ur because of its historical importance and to be prepared to receive Christian delegations. He stressed the importance of taking the necessary measures and providing the necessary facilities to delegate the tourist and religious groups to the archeological city of Ur, according to the statement of the Iraqi government presidency.

According to a statement issued by the Holy See Press House, the friendly talks were held to recall the historic visit of Pope Francis to Iraq and the moments of unity experienced by Iraqis. They also touched on the importance of promoting a culture of national dialog, in order to achieve stability and rebuild the country.

The statement also stressed the importance of protecting the historical presence of Christians in Iraq through appropriate legal procedures, as well as the important contribution they can make for the general good, while highlighting the need for them to have the same rights and duties as other citizens.

Commenting on the meeting, an Iraqi Christian activist, who preferred not to be identified, told Sky News Arabia: “The emphasis on the role of Iraqi Christians and the need to ensure and activate their political and social participation at every level in Iraq is an important step, no doubt in the framework of completing and culminating what it has produced and established, in the course of the Pope’s historic visit to Iraq last March, which restored to a great extent our trust in us as Iraqi Christians and sowed tranquility in our hearts once again, after the woes we have been subjected to, especially at the hands of ISIS in the past few years, as you all remember.”

He adds : “However, implementation is the most important thing in terms of partnership and the empowerment of Christians, which is good and positive, of course, on the part of the Iraqi government, but it is not enough and we must translate this into action by allocating huge budgets, for example, for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of damaged and abandoned Christian areas.”

He continues: “The reference by the Vatican Statement on the Pope’s meeting with Al-Kazimi to appropriate legal measures, on the protection of the historical existence and role of Iraq’s Christians, is a gesture worthy of building upon and benefiting from. As Christians in Iraq, we really need guarantees and rights in accordance with binding and applicable legislation and laws, not just ink on paper, or slogans in the context of the exercise of public relations.”

The Pope visited Iraq at the beginning of March as the first Great War to be a guest of Mesopotamia. The visit included the governorates of Baghdad, Najaf, Dhi Qar, and Ninewa, in addition to the city of Erbil, which was the first papal visit abroad since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

According to observers, Iraq’s success in hosting the Pope and the success of his visit, without any security breaches in particular, contributed to restoring confidence in Iraq and strengthening its position and role in the Arab, regional and international arenas.