When Pope Francis visits Iraq next month, becoming the first pontiff to ever do so, he will be fulfilling both a personal goal and a dream of popes before him who longed to step foot in the land that, as the birthplace of Prophet Abraham, is the cradle of Christianity.
Along with visiting the country’s minority Christian population, Francis—who has made the theme of building a “culture of encounter” a centerpiece of his papacy—will arrive as a pilgrim of peace seeking to engage the country’s majority Muslim population. “You are all brothers” is the official slogan of the trip, and its official logo includes an image of a dove flying above the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers with images of both the Vatican and Iraq flag.
