Pope Francis will make the first-ever visit to Iraq next year, visiting five places, including Baghdad, Erbil and Mosul between March 5-8, the Vatican said on Monday.

 Spokesman Matteo Bruni said Pope Francis, who turns 84 next week, will visit the capital Baghdad, Ur, an important city linked to the Old Testament figure of Abraham, as well as Erbil, Mosul and Qaraqosh in the plain of Nineveh. It will be Francis' first trip in more than a year. All overseas visits that had been planned for this year were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The programme of the journey will be made known in due course, and will take into consideration the evolution of the worldwide health emergency," Bruni said in a statement. Pope had hoped to make a trip this year but his plans were scuppered first by security concerns and then by the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2000, the late Pope John Paul II wanted to visit the ancient Iraqi city of Ur, traditionally held to be the birthplace of Abraham, the father of all three of the great monotheistic religions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

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