Episode Notes:

On Monday March 8, Pope Francis completed a four-day trip to Iraq, the first ever papal visit to the country. While there, Francis met with members of local Christian communities, victims of ISIL, and the prominent Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Joining us to discuss the political significance of the Pope’s visit, for both Iraq and the region, is Rasha Al Aqeedi. Rasha is a senior analyst and program head in the Human Security Unit of the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy.

[ 00:57 ] What do you think the most important aspects of the visit were?

[ 07:56 ] How has this been covered in the Western and Iraqi press?

[ 10:23 ] What do you think the long-term impact will be?