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Pope Francis after arriving in Baghdad with President Barham Salih (r.)
Photo: VATICAN MEDIA / CPP / IPA / imago images / Independent Photo Agency Int.
At the start of his four-day trip through Iraq, Pope Francis called on the government to grant rights and protection to all religious groups.
At a reception with President Barham Salih in the presidential palace, Francis said it was essential to involve all political, social and religious groups and to guarantee the fundamental rights of all citizens.
"Nobody should be considered a second class citizen," he said.
At the same time he called for an end to the violence: "The guns should be silent."
It is the first visit by a head of the Catholic Church to Iraq.
There had also been criticism in the run-up to the fact that the Pope was visiting the country in the midst of the corona pandemic.
The Christian community in the predominantly Islamic country, which is persecuted again and again, has shrunk considerably in recent decades.
Once there were more than a million Christians in Iraq.
Today it is estimated to be 250,000 to 400,000.
Over the past few decades, Iraq has "suffered from the catastrophes of war, the scourge of terrorism and sectarian conflicts," said Pope Francis.
"All of this has led to death, destruction and rubble that is still visible." The Yazidis should be mentioned in particular.
The religious minority was massively persecuted primarily by the terrorist militia "Islamic State" (IS).
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Due to a three-day curfew, the streets of the capital Baghdad were largely deserted
Photo: Khalid Mohammed / dpa
Head of State Salih said the pope's trip was evidence of his concern for the country.
"Iraqis are proud of your presence." Christians in the region have suffered a great deal and experienced crises that have forced them to emigrate, he said.
But the region is inconceivable without Christians.
Success will only be achieved if a return migration begins without compulsion.
For the Pope, the focus of the trip is on interreligious dialogue.
He wants to travel to different parts of the country by Monday.
The meeting on Saturday with the country's most important Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, is eagerly awaited.
On Sunday he will travel to communities in the northern Iraqi cities of Mosul and Qaraqosh.
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mjm / dpa