05/03/2021 13:07 (UTC)

Pope Francis arrives in Iraq for historic trip amid pandemic

Baghdad, Mar 5 (EFE), (Camera: Cristina Cabrejas).- Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad on Friday for the first ever papal visit to Iraq, and his first trip abroad since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year.

He will meet members of the country’s Christian minority community which was persecuted by the Islamic State that occupied parts of Iraq for three years until the terror group was defeated in late 2017.

Sectarian violence in the war-torn country has seen Iraq’s Christian population fall from 1.5 million in 2003 to just 300,000.

FOOTAGE OF POPE FRANCIS ON BOARD OF THE PLANE THAT TOOK HIM TO IRAQ ON FRIDAY.

Metadata

Date: 05/03/2021 12:00 (UTC)
Credit: EFE
Source: EFE
Topic: Religion and belief
Type: Rough cut
Duration: 148 seconds
Reference: 7001052142
Relevance: Normal