Pandemic and security fears have made this his riskiest visit yet, but the 84-year-old insisted he was "duty bound". He also said Iraq's dwindling Christian community should have a more prominent role as citizens with full rights, freedoms and responsibilities.
He is hoping to foster inter-religious dialogue - meeting Iraq's most revered Shia Muslim cleric - and will celebrate Mass at a stadium in Irbil in the north. About 10,000 Iraqi Security Forces personnel are being deployed to protect the Pope, while round-the-clock curfews are also being imposed to limit the spread of pandemic.
Iraq's PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi greeted him at the airport, with a red carpet, Iraqis in national dress and songs from a largely unmasked choir. Hundreds of people lined the airport road as the Pope's convoy, heavily chaperoned by police motorcycles, left for the city.
But the Pope was seen to have a pronounced limp, suggesting that his sciatica condition continues to bother him.
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