This Reflection Meeting was held on Thursday, March 4, one day before the Pope's arrival in Iraq, a country that has been plagued by war for more than 30 years.
Iraqi priest Aram Pano participated in this meeting, which was attended by more than 500 people, who is studying Institutional Communication at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, and Gerardo Ferraraan expert in the history and culture of the Middle East.
Ferrara recalled that it was St. John Paul II who wanted to make this trip to Iraq in 1999, but at that time, the various political conflicts prevented Pope Wojtyla from making this apostolic journey.
The Iraqi priest expressed his confidence that the Pope will leave an indelible mark in Iraq because he is convinced that he will come as a true "messenger of peace for a people who need it so much".
In fact, Pope Francis' trip to Iraq has been exciting, fraternal, warm and hopeful.. Numerous Christians who live in the country, who have experienced so much horror as a result of the bloody attacks of the Islamic State, received him with emotion and tears. The Pope did not cease to convey to him all his support and warmth.
"Christians have been persecuted for centuries, and even today they suffer this discrimination. I hope and I am convinced that the Holy Father's trip will bring peace and fraternity to Iraq," said Aram during the meeting.
The Catholic Church in Iraq is represented by about 300,000 Catholics, or 0.95 percent of the population. However, before the invasion of the Islamic State, the number of Christians amounted to 1.5 million and nowadays, it is estimated that they do not reach 400,000 (2.5% of the population). Many of their properties and churches have been destroyed.
Catholics in Iraq follow different rites, but most of them are members of the Chaldean Catholic Church. There are currently 17 active dioceses.
In this video you can watch the third CARF online meeting on the Pope's visit to Iraq.
Aram Pano went on to express his confidence in the fruit of the inter-religious meeting with Jewish and Muslim leaders that Pope Francis has held, and that this union between the different confessions will bring about true peace and security in the country.
He also noted that the meeting with the Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Al-Husaymi Al-Sistani, Shiite leader (the 60% of the population) and one of the most influential people in Iraqi politics, change in Iraq: peace among the different ethnic groups.
And it seems that their forecasts could be confirmed. In fact, the ayatollah Al-Sistani, after his meeting with Pope Francis of 45 minutes, is committed to Christian citizens living like all Iraqis, in peace and security.
Ferrara, for his part, emphasized the international dimension of the meeting between the Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Al-Husaymi Al-Sistani. "Christians hope that, after this meeting, the persecution against Christians will cease in some cities in Iraq by the Shiite Muslim community," he said.
The Middle East expert made a detailed analysis of Iraq's history in recent years, from the time of Saddam Hussein to the present day.
Making clear the aberrations that Hussein committed, however, he recalled that his government did accept Christians in positions of responsibility.This is not the case today.
For this reason, the government, made up of different Muslim ethnic groups, is favoring its own, discriminating against Christians, where foreign aid to rebuild villages does not arrive. "The situation of Christians, especially in the north, remains very difficult," the expert noted.
"If Christians disappear from Iraq, the entire population is bound to disappear, due to the fratricidal wars of the other ethnic groups." Gerardo Ferrara
However, Gerardo Ferrara explained that Christians play a fundamental role in Iraq: "Christianity has always been a source of unity among all ethnic groups. "If Christians disappear from Iraq, the entire population is bound to disappear, due to the fratricidal wars of the other ethnic groups."he said.
For this reason, for the Middle East expert, the Pope's visit will be marked by the encyclical Fratelli tutti, because "fraternity is what this country needs most".
The online meeting ended with a moving moment: Fr. Aram Pano sang the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic (the language of Jesus), a truly beautiful song that transported us to the time of the Lord.
