In Pictures: Iraq prepares for Pope Francis' visit

The pontiff is set to make a four-day-trip to Iraq despite COVID-19 and security fears

Last updated:
Christian Borbon, Senior Web Editor
2 MIN READ
1/25
Pope Francis is set to be in Iraq from March 5 to 8 with an ambitious programme that will take round the country.
AP
2/25
On his first day in the Iraqi capital, Francis will give a speech at the "Our Lady of Salvation" Catholic Church in the main commercial district of Karrada.
AFP
3/25
Christians volunteers hold Iraqi and Vatican flags as they decorate streets ahead of the planned visit of Pope Francis, in Qaraqosh.
REUTERS
4/25
A member of the Iraqi forces stands next to a poster depicting an image of Pope Francis at the Syriac Catholic Church of Our Lady of Deliverance in the Karrada district of Iraq's capital Baghdad.
AFP
5/25
Iraqi security forces pass by Iraq and the Vatican flags and posters announcing visit of the Pope Francis in a street in Qaraqosh, Iraq.
AP
6/25
Workers finalise preparations at Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil ahead of Pope Francis' March visit to Iraq.
AFP
7/25
A view of the interior Chaldean Catholic Church of St. Joseph in Iraq's capital Baghdad, amidst preparations for Pope Francis' visit.
AFP
8/25
People fix a street destroyed during clashes against Daesh in Qaraqosh, Iraq. Iraq's Christians are hoping that a historic visit by Pope Francis in March will help boost their community's struggle to survive.
AP
9/25
A view of the interior Chaldean Catholic Church of St. Joseph in Iraq's capital Baghdad, amidst preparations for Pope Francis' visit.
AFP
10/25
Men stand holding a poster by UNESCO welcoming Pope Francis at a cultural centre in the old city of Iraq's northern city of Mosul ahead of the pontiff's visit later in the week.
AFP
11/25
In Mosul, the Pope will visit the Al-Tahera Church in the city's west, which was ravaged by Daesh and the fighting that eventually forced the jihadists out of the city.
REUTERS
12/25
Youths unfurl a poster welcoming Pope Francis above the rubble of a destroyed house next to the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in the old city of Iraq's northern city of Mosul.
AFP
13/25
Volunteers stand holding posters welcoming Pope Francis in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception.
AFP
14/25
Father Nazeer Dako arranges a Vatican flag to welcome the Pope Francis in St. Joseph's Chaldean Church during preparations for the Pope's visit, in Baghdad, Iraq.
AP
15/25
Posters welcoming Pope Francis being prepared at St. Joseph's Chaldean Church in preparation for the Pope's visit, in Baghdad, Iraq.
AP
16/25
A freshly-printed poster being laid out at a print-shop, welcoming Pope Francis ahead of his visit to the country later in the week.
AFP
17/25
Workers print flyers of Pope Francis at a shop in Arbil ahead of the first-ever papal visit to Iraq.
AFP
18/25
Municipal workers rehabilitate the streets around St. Joseph's Chaldean Church during preparations for the Pope's visit, in Baghdad, Iraq.
AP
19/25
A nun adds a coat of paint to the crucifix at the entrance of the Immaculate Mary Dominican Sisters Convent in the predominantly Christian town of Qaraqosh.
AFP
20/25
Members of a Christian choir rehearse ahead of Pope Francis' March visit in a room at the Chaldean Catholic Church of St. Joseph in Iraq's capital Baghdad.
AFP
21/25
A mural of Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani with a sentence in Arabic reads "You are a part of us and we are a part of you" is seen before the upcoming visit of the Pope to Iraq.
AP
22/25
Roadside banners are erected welcoming Pope Francis in the predominantly Christian town of Qaraqosh. Iraq's northern province of Nineveh is the heartland of the country's Christian community.
AFP
23/25
Christians volunteers decorate streets with the pictures of Pope Francis in Qaraqosh.
REUTERS
24/25
Workers finalise preparations at Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil ahead of Pope Francis' visit to Iraq.
AFP
25/25
Workers finalise preparations at Franso Hariri Stadium ahead of Pope Francis' visit to Iraq.
AFP

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