Cardinal Parolin will meet with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials during his visit. He will also say mass at a church in the mainly Christian town of Qaraqosh.
Among the dignitaries greeting Cardinal Parolin at Erbil’s airport were KRG’s head of foreign affairs Falah Mustafa, the EU’s liaison officer Clarisse Pasztory, Archbishop of Erbil Warda, and newly-appointed Archbishop of Mosul Najib Mikhael Moussa.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary arrives this evening at Erbil Airport . I warmly thank and welcome His Eminence for his most important visit to further understand , on the ground, the challenges we face as a persecuted church in Iraq. pic.twitter.com/jS5j8esVER
— bishopwarda (@bishopwarda) December 26, 2018
The envoy of the Catholic Church has spent Christmas in Iraq.
He celebrated Christmas mass at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Baghdad’s Karrada neighbourhood with the head of the Chaldean church Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako.
Before beginning his trip, the auxiliary bishop of Baghdad Shlemon Warduni told Vatican News that Cardinal Parolin’s is a sign of encouragement to Iraq’s suffering Christian community.
“Almost a million Christians have left Iraq – a nation that has seen the presence of Christians for over two thousand years”, he said.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Iraqi President Barham Salih. Photo: Presidency
Cardinal Parolin met Iraqi President Barham Salih while in Baghdad on Wednesday.
They discussed the importance of different religions working together to combat extremist ideology “that does not reflect the beliefs and values of our divine messages and social norms,” according to Salih’s office.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi. Photo: PM Office
Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi also welcomed the Vatican envoy, meeting him on Christmas Eve.
Iraq’s Christians hope that Pope Francis will also visit the country in the future.
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