Whenever we talk about lands tormented by decades of wars and violence, sometimes perpetrated in the name of religions, we must do so with sobriety.
This is to say that commenting on Pope Francis’ recent trip to Iraq (5-8 March 2021) can become a pretext for easy criticism if one does not try to enter the complexity of the situation. Therefore, it must be acknowledged that the Roman pope’s call to religious freedom, his appeal to respect for minorities, and his invitation to national conciliation were commendable.
Theological framework
Having said that, the theological framework of his visit cannot be overlooked. The climax of his journey was the address given at the inter-religious meeting at the Plain of Ur. In a very emotional way, his speech was centred on the figure of Abraham as the father of Jews, Christians and Muslims. They are the ‘descendants’ promised by God to Abraham and therefore ‘brothers and sisters’ among them. These three groups are called by God ‘to bear witness to his goodness, to show his paternity through our fraternity’.
