The Pope: "They accuse me of heresy, but there are risks I must take"

Pope Francis speaks at a press conference on the papal plane back to Rome from Iraq this Monday.YARA NARDI / POOL / EFE

Pope Francis had not submitted to journalists' questions for 15 months, when he made his last trip before the pandemic.

The traditional press conference on the papal plane has been resumed on the flight back to Rome from Iraq.

An expedition that has lasted three days and in which he has once again built bridges with Islam.

Something that often generates turbulence within the Church and great attacks on Francis.

And that's where, more or less, the Pope began, just as the plane was flying over Syria at 38,000 feet.

“Many times you have to take risks to take this step.

There are some criticisms that the Pope is not brave, he is unconscious, or that he is taking steps against Catholic doctrine and is one step away from heresy.

It's the risks.

But they are decisions that are made in dialogue, asking for advice.

They are not a whim, ”he said.

Encounter with Sistani

One of the great milestones of the Pope's trip came during a visit to Iraq's Shiite leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani.

A historic meeting at the home of the Muslim religious hierarch that laid the foundations for a possible new agreement like the one he signed two years ago with Imam Al Tayeb, leader of the Sunni branch of Islam.

“That document was secretly prepared for six months.

Praying, reflecting and correcting.

It was a first step.

There will be other steps and it is important for the path to brotherhood ”, he pointed out.

The image of that meeting, in addition to the concern that it always generates in a sector of Catholicism, could also be interpreted as a geopolitical message.

The Pope only said that it was "a universal message."

“I felt the duty of this pilgrimage of faith and penance, of going to meet a wise man, a man of God.

Simply by listening to it, this is perceived.

He is a person who has wisdom and prudence.

He told me that for 10 years he has not received people who come to visit him for other political or cultural reasons, only religious ones.

He was very respectful at the meeting.

I was honored.

He, in greeting, never stands up.

And he rose, twice, to greet me.

A humble and wise man.

This meeting did my soul good.

It is a light, ”Francisco recounted.

Upcoming trips.

Hungary, Lebanon and… Argentina?

The success of the trip to Iraq and the idea that the pandemic may subside in the coming months after the vaccination campaign suggests that the Pope will resume his international agenda.

And he confirmed this with a possible trip to Hungary - he stated that it would be a Eucharistic Congress, and not at the invitation of the country and its president - and to Slovakia.

Also with the promise to visit Lebanon soon.

But he admitted that at his age —and with the sciatica problems that he carries— it is getting harder and harder: “I don't know if the rhythm will slow down… but I just confess that on this trip I got much more tired than on the others.

The 84 do not arrive alone.

It is a consequence.

But we will see ”.

• The Pope visits the Shiite leader Ali Sistani in Iraq and appreciates his defense of "those persecuted" by the Islamic State

• Pope wants Shiite leader to help protect Christians in Iraq

In addition, he was questioned, as always, about his possible expedition to Argentina.

The Pope assured that there was already a scheduled trip that had to be canceled at the last minute.

“I want to say it, so that fantasies of patriaphobia are not made, when the opportunity arises, it should be done.

Because Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil cover an important area ”, he said.

The risks of a trip in the middle of a pandemic

The Vatican decided to continue with the plans for the trip to Iraq despite the fact that the pandemic has not subsided and that security was highly questioned.

Francisco explained his doubts about it.

“The trips are cooked in time, in my conscience.

And this is one of the things that made me think the most.

I thought so much, prayed so much.

And in the end, I made the decision, freely, but it came from within.

I said that the one who makes me decide like this, take care of the people.

So I made the decision.

After the prayer, and knowing the risks ”.

Francisco also explained that in recent months, in which he has not been able to travel or hold his public hearings on Wednesdays, he had felt like "in prison."

“This for me is reviving.

Because it is touching the church, touching the holy people of God, all peoples.

A priest becomes a priest to touch the people of God, not to make a career, not for money ”, he sentenced.

Mosul and the arms dealers

One of the most impressive stages of the Pope's trip to Iraq was his passage through Mosul, where he prayed in the square where before the proclamation of the Islamic State caliphate in 2014 there were four churches and today only rubble remains. “When I stopped in front of the destroyed church, I had no words. It is not to believe. All the churches, also a destroyed mosque whose imam is seen to have disagreed with the people. Human cruelty is unbelievable. But something came to mind as I passed that church: Who sells weapons to these destroyers? Because the weapons are not made by them at home. So who sells them to you? Who is responsible? I would ask those who sell the weapons to have, at least, the sincerity to say that they are the ones who sell them ”, he claimed.