Coverage plans for Pope Francis trip to Iraq from March 5-8

EDITORS:

Pope Francis arrives in Iraq this week, the first papal visit since the pandemic began and the first-ever papal visit to Iraq. The March 5-8 trip is expected to provide a spiritual boost to Iraq's beleaguered Christians while furthering the Vatican's bridge-building efforts with the Muslim world. The Associated Press plans comprehensive coverage, including live video.

Here is a look at AP's coverage plans. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit Coverage Plan. Text, photos, video and graphics can be found on AP Newsroom.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3:

VATICAN-EXPLAINING POPE'S IRAQ TRIP: Pope Francis is pushing ahead with the first papal trip to Iraq despite rising coronavirus infections, hoping to encourage the country's dwindling number of Christians who were violently persecuted by the Islamic State group while seeking to boost ties with the Shiite Muslim world. Security concerns are significant, and Francis for the first time is expected to travel in an armored car, a measure that the Vatican hopes will have the dual effect of also discouraging contagion-inducing crowds. By Nicole Winfield. With photos. (Sent)

IRAQ-POPE-SISTANI: The upcoming historic meeting between Pope Francis and a revered Shiite Muslim leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has been months in the making with painstaking behind-the-scenes preparations. Their planned conversation in al-Sistani's modest home in the southern Iraqi town of Najaf has already drawn the ire of majority Shiite Iran and heightened a long-standing rivalry between Najaf and Iran's Qom over which town stands at the center of the Shiite world. With the stakes high, the Vatican and Najaf have gone back and forth on almost every element of the meeting from the removal of shoes to seating arrangements. By Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Samya Kullab. With photos. (Sent)

THURSDAY, MARCH 4:

IRAQ-POPE-CHURCH MASSACRE SURVIVOR: Louis Clemis was a church youth leader, attending Mass at Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad in October 2010 when six extremists stormed in and attacked worshippers. Dozens were killed in the massacre that changed Clemis' life forever. Still suffering from hearing loss 11 years later, he says the harrowing day planted the seeds of Christian mistrust of Muslims. Pope Francis' planned visit to the church brings hope that Iraq's Christians can finally live in peace with their neighbors. By Samya Kullab. With photo and video.

FRIDAY, MARCH 5:

VATICAN-IRAQ: Spot coverage of the first day of the trip. Pope Francis flies to Baghdad. He is greeted by the prime minister at the airport, followed by an official welcome ceremony at the presidential palace and a meeting with the president. Later in the day, he meets with officials, civil society groups, clergy at Our Lady of Salvation Church. By Nicole Winfield. With photos/edited and live video coverage of the day's events.

IRAQ-CHRISTIANS-TIMELINE: A look at disasters Iraq's Christians have endured, from the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 to the brutal rule of Islamic State militants.

SATURDAY, MARCH 6:

VATICAN-IRAQ: Spot coverage of the second day of the trip. Pope Francis meets in Najaf with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, hosts an inter-religious meeting in the Plain of Ur and celebrates Mass at the Chaldean Cathedral in Baghdad. By Nicole Winfield. Photos/edited and live video coverage expected in the Plain of Ur and at the Baghdad cathedral. Note that the meeting between the pope and al-Sistani is likely closed to coverage.

IRAQ-SURVIVING ISLAMIC STATE: Where Islamic State militants once destroyed, Pope Francis will pray. In a stop rich with symbolism, the pope will visit the church of the 'œImmaculate Conception'ť in Qaraqosh in northern Iraq, during his historic trip to the country. Damaged and charred during the IS reign of terror, the church's tragedy mirrored that of its Christian community which was devastated by the group. By Mariam Fam. With file photos.

SISTANI-PROFILE BOX: A chunky text profile of al-Sistani who is meeting Saturday with the pope. The meeting, expected to last 30-45 minutes, is closed to the media.

SUNDAY, MARCH 7:

VATICAN-IRAQ: Spot coverage of the third day of the trip. Pope Francis visits the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. He performs a prayer for victims of war in Mosul, visits the town of Qaraqosh, a center of Christianity in Iraq, and then celebrates Mass in the city of Irbil. By Nicole Winfield. Photo coverage/edited and live video coverage in Irbil, possibly restricted coverage in Mosul and Qaraqosh.

MONDAY, MARCH 8:

VATICAN-IRAQ: Departure from Baghdad International Airport.

VIDEO:

Video only is planned for the following:

MONDAY, MARCH 1:

IRAQ CHALDEAN PATRIARCH: Interview with the head of the Chaldean Church, Cardinal Louis Raphael Seko

TUESDAY, MARCH 2:

IRAQ QARAQOSH: A look at Iraq's biggest Christian town, which suffered much during the Islamic State war, and where extensive preparations are under way to prepare for the pontiff's visit

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3:

IRAQ UR: A look at the ancient city of Ur, near the modern city of Nasiriya, where the Pope is scheduled to hold a multiconfessional prayer, and where some think that that the Biblical patriarch Abraham lived sometime in the 2nd millennium BC.

THURSDAY, MARCH 4;

IRAQ CHURCH MASSACRE: Interview with a survivor of the 2010 massacre at Baghdad's Lady of Salvation Church where militants killed 58 worshippers.

-The AP