Iraq

Watch: Heidi Schlumpf, Joshua McElwee and writer and graduate student Asad Dandia discuss Pope Francis' recent papal trip to Iraq.

"I saw the hope of being open to a horizon of peace and fraternity, summed up in Jesus' words that were the motto of the visit: 'You are all brothers,'" Pope Francis said of his recent visit to Iraq.

Distinctly Catholic: One of the things I like best about this pope is that he remembers the tactile nature of our Christian faith, the fact that most of us common people want to touch the holy or, in this case, make a pilgrimage to a holy place.

We say: Pope Francis could not heal the wounds in Iraq, but he could and did demonstrate solidarity with the victims. But, despite assurances, the trip was not held in a way to minimize the possibility of the spread of coronavirus among Iraqis.

Listen: This episode focuses on the strange path to COVID-19 relief, the conflicting messages of the bishops regarding vaccines and the recent papal visit to Iraq.

Just Catholic: The Chaldean rite, with or without the words of institution, makes it clear that the Holy Spirit and the faith of the community create the Real Presence. But then there is the larger implication.

Sri Lankan Roman Catholics attended Mass dressed in black on Mar. 7, with prayers and protests calling for justice for those killed in coordinated suicide bomb attacks on Easter Sunday in 2019.

"Pope Francis' visit was a historic and welcome first for the country," said U.S. President Joe Biden, about Iraq. "It sent an important message, as Pope Francis said himself, that 'fraternity is more durable than fratricide, that hope is more powerful than death, that peace more powerful than war.' "