Baghdad, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi met today, Friday, in the Vatican, with His Holiness Pope Francis, Pope of the Vatican.
The Media Office of the Prime Minister said in a statement that the National Iraqi News Agency received a copy of it “Al-Kadhimi expressed his thanks to His Holiness the Pope for the warm welcome and reception, and praised the Pope’s historic visit to Iraq, and the messages it contained in support of Iraq, and emphasized the unity of humanity in the aspiration for peace and coexistence and standing against extremism in all its forms.”
The statement added that “he affirmed the commitment of the Iraqi government to work for the consolidation of Iraqi Christians and other minorities in their lands as an essential part of the fabric of their societies, and to facilitate the return of the displaced and immigrants to their areas of origin, as well as to work to urge the Iraqi church authorities to activate their humanitarian activities, especially educational and health, and to provide them with all the required assistance.
Al-Kadhimi indicated that the government is proceeding to reconstruct the ancient churches that were destroyed by ISIS terrorist gangs, in addition to the government’s serious efforts to reconstruct the city of Ur due to its historical importance, and to be prepared to receive Christian delegations to the city, and he indicated the importance of taking measures and providing the necessary facilities to group tourist and religious groups into the archaeological city of Ur.
For his part, His Holiness Pope Francis welcomed Al-Kadhimi and his accompanying delegation, stressing the importance of strengthening peace efforts in the region, in a way that achieves prosperity and stability for peoples.
The Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, also met with the Prime Minister of the Vatican State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations, enhancing cooperation and joint coordination to facilitate the grouping of tourist and religious groups to the historic city of Ur. Al-Kadhimi renewed the call for the Supreme Permanent Dialogue Committee between Iraq and the Vatican to hold its third meeting in Baghdad this year.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency