The Iraqi embassy in Italy participated in the celebration held in the city of Assisi in the Supreme Cathedral of St. Francis in remembrance of the first visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Iraq, while the Iraqi ambassador, Safiya Al-Suhail, called for the start of grouping pilgrims from Assisi to Ur and reopening the Italian schools in Iraq.
The Embassy said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that "Ambassador Safiya Talib Al-Suhail, the cadres of the embassy, members of the Iraqi community, and a number of young Iraqi activists from number of European cities participated in the celebration that carried the slogan (from Assisi to Ur)", indicating, that "the celebration came in conjunction with the ceremony held by the Iraqi state in Ur on the occasion of the National Day of Tolerance, which the Iraqi state adopted as a national day on the occasion of the historic visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Iraq.
The celebration was held in the Church of San Francesco in the historic Italian city of Assisi, and included the establishment of a mass under the auspices of Monsignor Rami Al-Qiblan, according to the Syriac Catholic rites, in coordination with the Diocese of Assisi, and a harmonious performance of eastern and western ecclesiastical rites, with the participation of Iraqi priests and students of the monastic order in Italy from the Iraqis."
Noting that "the celebration was attended by the mayor of Assisi, Stefania Proietti, and a number of Italian humanitarian organizations that provided aid to areas affected by ISIS terrorist crimes, including Christian and Yazidi areas."
"The celebration included a live presentation of the Pope's weekly speech, which he delivers after the Angelus Prayer, in which he addressed his visit to Iraq last year, directing his greetings in his speech to Iraq and the events held in Assisi and Ur on this occasion," the statement added.
Patriarch of the Chaldean Church from Ur, His Eminence Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, sent a message in Arabic and Italian through a recorded video clip, in which he mentioned the importance of Pope Francis' visit, noting that it is the first visit by the Pope to Iraq throughout history.
The embassy indicated that " Assisi -Ur meeting on the occasion of the anniversary of the visit of Pope Francis' and the Iraqi National Day of Tolerance, witnessed holding of a dialogue session organized by the Spirit of Assisi Committee, an international organization concerned with the dialogue of peace and tolerance, moderated by the well-known Italian journalist Luca Jironico,* who accompanied the Pope on his visit to Iraq, the session, which was held in one of the church’s monasteries, witnessed the participation of their Excellences the ambassadors of the Republic of Iraq to Italy, the Holy See, the mayor of the city, in addition to representatives of the Chaldean churches, representatives of the Union of Islamic Communities, the Office of Ecumenism and Dialogue, the Italian Bishops’ Synod, a representative of the Yazidi community, and a group of members of the honorable Iraqi community.
"The session included an intervention by His Eminence Sheikh Abdullah Al-Taie, the representative of the Iraqi religious authority in holy Najaf, and the session was concluded by Mons. Domenico Sorino* (Bishop of Assisi)", the statement added.
Iraq's ambassador to Rome, Safia Talib Al-Suhail, called in her speech during the four sessions that were held, to activate practical steps to achieve the goals of the Pope's visit to Iraq, including what His Holiness emphasized the importance of returning to Ur and his call for Christians to perform Hajj, stressing the importance of starting to group pilgrims and to be make the Italian city of Assisi the start to group the pilgrims to the Iraqi city of Ur, and Demanded reopening the Italian language schools throughout Iraq."
* Luca Geronico (note by Baghdadhope)
*Domenico Sorrentino (Note by Baghdadhope)
*Domenico Sorrentino (Note by Baghdadhope)
