Pope Francis is to visit Iraq next spring to encourage Christians in the country and across the Middle East who are suffering as a result of Covid-19 and persecution.
The Pope will be in the country from 5 to 8 March 2021 in his first apostolic journey since the outbreak of the pandemic.
He is also the first pope to visit Iraq.
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, told Vatican News that the Pope would bring "support and also a word of hope" to Iraqi Christians at a time when they are facing many challenges.
"We are living in a bad situation - not only the pandemic but also the political situation, [the] economic situation," he said.
According to Open Doors, there are just over 200,000 Christians in Iraq - around 0.5% of the population.
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reported earlier this year that at least 100,000 Iraqi Christians fled ISIS occupation after 2014, with only 36,000 returning to date.
While ISIS was pushed back in 2017, the ACN report detailed widespread fear among Christians of a resurgence within the next five years.
Cardinal Sako said that the show of support from the Pope was very important as the presence of Christians in the Middle East remains under threat.
"It gives us great hope to hear his speeches and his encouragement to remain in our land," he said.
Iraqi President Barham Salih said on Twitter that the trip "will be a message of peace to Iraqis of all religions & serve to affirm our common values of justice & dignity."
