Iraqi Christians in Germany have high hopes for Pope Francis’ visit to their old home

“Because of the pandemic, it is difficult to travel from Germany to Iraq. So everyone wants to follow the pope’s visit on television or YouTube,” says Raad Washan Sarah Sharafana, a priest in Berlin. He belongs to the Chaldeans, the Iraqi branch of Catholicism. For weeks now, when he celebrates Mass in the Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd, the 51-year-old has also been praying for a safe and successful journey for the pope. Never before has the head of the Catholic Church visited Iraq. And seldom has one of the pontiff’s 32 visits abroad raised as many expectations as the upcoming four-day tour. Everyone wants to follow the pope’s visit on television, says Raad Washan Sarah Sharafana In Berlin, Alen Albezo is one of the congregation of roughly 50 people who attend mass every Sunday, even during the pandemic. The parish is made up of much younger people than the average Catholic parish in Germany. Albezo is 21 and stays around after Mass talking to people from his own age group. “It is important to see, feel and hear the Iraqi roots sometimes,” he says. Albezo came to Germany in 2015 , when hundreds of thousands of refugees fled war and terrorism… Read full this story

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