Editorial of the “World”. Faced with the tragedy caused by the conquest of a third of Iraq by the Islamic State (IS) organization in June 2014, the forced exile of more than 120,000 Christians from Mosul and the province of Nineveh, the massacre and the kidnapping of thousands of Yazidis and the establishment of a barbaric regime, Pope Francis had promised to go to Iraq. While the country still lives under the threat of armed groups – Shiite militias and Sunni jihadists – and still faced with the health emergency linked to the coronavirus, the stubbornness of the sovereign pontiff to honor this commitment forces respect.
Four years after the end of the war against ISIS, the pilgrimage that Pope Francis made March 5-8 from Baghdad to Mosul, passing through Najaf, Ur, Erbil and Karakoch, is a welcome gesture of solidarity and ‘hope. It is addressed to Christians in Iraq, who have been decimated by successive conflicts since the American invasion of 2003, but also to the entire Iraqi population. The call for tolerance, pluralism, citizenship and justice that he launched to the country’s political and religious leaders constitutes a precious relay for those who, in Iraq, are fighting, against all odds, for these values.
The tens of thousands of demonstrators who defied, in Baghdad and in the Shiite south of the country, for months, from October 2019, the repression of the security forces and the Shiite militias, at the cost of more than 600 dead, asked only ” to be able to live in peace and security in a “State of all its citizens”, purged of political confessionalism, corruption, the threat of armed groups and foreign interference that gnaw at it from within. While their demands have not been heard, and the dispute is still brewing, the visit of the sovereign pontiff to Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, the highest Shiite authority in Iraq, in the holy city of Nadjaf, is a mark of respect for the one who has established himself as their most influential voice and support.
Strengthening the rule of law
This first meeting of the sovereign pontiff with a high Shiite dignitary also honors Ayatollah Sistani’s commitment to the defense of minorities, dialogue and coexistence between communities. Since the coming to power of President Barham Saleh and Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, gestures and promises have multiplied towards communities scarred by the war against ISIS and the demonstrators. The vote by Parliament on 1er March, of the bill for the compensation of Yazidi survivors enslaved by ISIS, as well as all religious and ethnic minorities victims of the jihadist group, is a realization of this.
However, in this environment where state authority is undermined by armed groups, narrow partisan interests of predatory elites and foreign interference, goodwill alone will not suffice. As strong and symbolic as it is, Pope Francis’ message cannot bear fruit without a renewed and determined commitment by the international community to accompany Iraq on the path of reconstruction and national reconciliation. This involves strengthening the rule of law and democracy, starting with support for the organization of legislative elections – scheduled for October – which will allow the free expression of voices calling for change.
