Iraq Prepares For Historic Visit By Pope Francis

ERBIL, IRAQ - MARCH 04: An employee cuts lengths of the flag of Vatican City at a printing house on March 4, 2021 in Erbil, Iraq. On March 5, Pope Francis will start the historic first ever papal visit to Iraq. In his first foreign trip since the start of the pandemic Pope Francis will visit Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and the cities of Qaraqosh and Mosul, which were heavily destroyed by ISIS. Although the trip is seen as an act of solidarity, the Vatican has been forced to defend the decision to go ahead with the papal visit amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as Iraq is currently seeing a spike in infection rates as it faces a deadly second wave of the virus. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)