BAGHDAD—
Pope Francis
called for equal rights for Christians and other minorities in Iraq at the start of a densely scheduled visit fraught with public-health and security risks.
Support for Iraq’s beleaguered and dwindling Christian community, which the pope has called a “martyr church,” is a major theme of this weekend’s extraordinary trip.
In his first trip outside of Italy in more than a year, Pope Francis is also seeking to pursue his signature cause of better relations with the Muslim world, despite the country’s spike in Covid-19 infections and continuing violence.
“It is essential to ensure the participation of all political, social and religious groups and to guarantee the fundamental rights of all citizens. May no one be considered a second-class citizen,” the pope said in a speech at Baghdad’s presidential palace on Friday. Calling for a “healthy pluralism” in the Muslim-majority county, Pope Francis drew…