The Latest: Vatican defends pope's Iraq trip, stadium mass

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican is defending Pope Francis’ decision to go ahead with his trip to Iraq this weekend despite rising coronavirus infections there and concerns about crowds wanting to see him.

The Vatican says health care precautions are being taken and the trip is an “act of love for this land, for its people, and for its Christians.”

Francis is due to visit Iraq Friday through Monday in his first foreign trip since the start of the pandemic. He plans to celebrate a Mass for an expected 10,000 people in the sports stadium in Erbil.

Coronavirus cases have spiked in the past month in Iraq and infectious disease experts say a high-profile trip by a world leader to a country with a fragile health care system is not a good idea.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni was asked why the trip couldn’t be postponed a few months. Bruni noted Iraq has a predominantly young population, the number of infections was small compared to the overall population and papal events will follow Iraqi health protocols. Those include limited participation and social distancing.

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