The news was confirmed by Auxiliary Bishop Emmanuel Karim Delly, according to the Italian newspaper Avvenire. Bishop Delly assists Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid of Babylon of the Chaldeans.
The Pope hoped to go on pilgrimage to Ur on the eve of the Jubilee Year. However, Saddam Hussein notified the Vatican that his country could not guarantee the Pontiff´s security, given the constant U.S.-British military flights controlling the no-fly zone, where Abraham´s homeland is located.
Bishop Delly said, «When the Pontiff´s wish can be realized, it will be a great occasion for us all, and the Pope will be well received by all the Iraqi people. We have done everything possible, both here and in the Vatican.»
