It's an ambitious proposal the pope gave civil authorities. He was welcomed with full honors.
The pope greeted all those on board, always wearing a mask and respecting interpersonal distances.
Pope Francis stepped out of the airplane mask and all. The patriarch of the Chaldean Catholics, Card. Louis Sako went up the boarding steps to greet him.
The danger is that the trip could lead to further spread of the coronavirus. Nevertheless, Iraqi authorities decided to move forward with preparations.
