Pope flew to Iraq for the first time

Pope Francis arrived in Iraq for the first time in the history of the Catholic Church. On his dangerous tour of the Middle East, the pontiff wants to call for interfaith peace and dialogue.

Reported by Reuters.

Together with the pontiff, about 75 journalists arrived in the capital of Iraq. The Iraqi authorities deployed thousands of additional security personnel to protect the 84-year-old Pope during his visit, as he flew in after a series of missile attacks and terrorist attacks.

“I am delighted to be traveling again. This is a landmark trip and a debt to a country that has been tortured for so many years,” Francis said after getting off the plane.

As part of his tour, the pontiff will travel to four cities by plane, helicopter and possibly an armored car. He plans to hold Mass at a Baghdad church and meet with an Iraqi Shiite Muslim priest in Najaf before heading to Mosul, where the army was forced to clear the streets of people during the Iraqi prime minister's visit last year.