Vatican defends pope's Iraq trip amid coronavirus surge, calls it 'act of love'

The Vatican, on March 2, defended Pope Francis’ decision to go ahead with his trip to Iraq despite the surging caseload of coronavirus in the mid-east nation.  Highlighting that the pontiff and his co-travellers were all vaccinated against COVID-19, the Vatican emphasized that the trip was an “act of love for this land, for its people, and for its Christians.” Iraq, which started inoculating residents last week, has reported 703,778 positive cases and over 13,400 fatalities.

Marking his first foreign trip since the pandemic erupted last year, the top priest is set to make a visit to Iraq from March 5 till 8. Planning for the trip went into high gear after infections fell, but cases have spiked in the past month and infectious disease experts say a papal trip to a country with a fragile health care system is not a good idea.

Read: Head Of Iraq Chaldean Church On Pope Francis Visit

Read: Final Touches Ahead Of First-ever Papal Visit To Iraq

Trip aimed at exhorting Christian communities

The pioneering trip is aimed at exhorting Iraq’s dwindling Christian communities and to promote greater dialogue with the country’s Shiite majority. In addendum, it would also mark the first-ever Papal meeting with grand ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Pope is also scheduled to travel to Kurdistan and Iraqi cities of  Mosul and Qaraqosh, all of which were annihilated by the Islamic State in Iraq, which later transformed into the dreaded ISIS group.

Meanwhile,  Infectious disease experts, across the world,  are expressing concern about Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Iraq, given a sharp rise in coronavirus infections there, a fragile health care system and the unavoidable likelihood that Iraqis will crowd to see him. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” Dr Navid Madani, virologist and founding director of the Center for Science Health Education in the Middle East and North Africa at Harvard Medical School’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute told AP.  Iraq with over703,778  cases and 13,458 deaths received its first batch of corona vaccines on March 2. 

Read: Iraq Receives Its First Shipment Of Coronavirus Vaccines

Read: Final Touches Ahead Of First-ever Papal Visit To Iraq