BFF-36 URGENT ¥¥¥ Pope to visit Iraq in March, first foreign trip since pandemic

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URGENT ¥¥¥ Pope to visit Iraq in March, first foreign trip since pandemic

VATICAN CITY, Dec 7, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Pope Francis will visit Iraq in March, the Vatican said Monday, in his first trip abroad since the coronavirus pandemic gripped Italy, grounding the pontiff, early this year.

“He will visit Baghdad, the plain of Ur… the city of Erbil, as well as Mosul and Qaraqosh in the plain of Nineveh,” spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement about the trip, which will take place from March 5 to 8, 2021.

BSS/AFP/BZC/1758hrs