Pope Francis focused on outreach to the overwhelmingly Muslim Arab world during his papacy, making ground-breaking visits to Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.
In 2021, Francis was the first pope in history to travel to Iraq, meeting the revered Shiite spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani and visiting Ur, the reputed birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, known as the patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
He later wrote that security forces thwarted two assassination attempts against him, including in Mosul; a city still devastated by battles that drove the militant group ISIS from the city in 2017.
"Pope Francis was admired by all as the Pope of the People," wrote Jordan's King Abdullah II. "He brought people together, leading with kindness, humility and compassion."
The pope's persistent condemnation of the war in Gaza, including in Easter remarks the day before he died, endeared him to a wide variety of Jordanians. A majority of Jordan's citizens are of Palestinian origin.
The pope's visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2019 was the first by any pope to the Arab Gulf. During the visit he signed — along with Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, a leading Sunni Muslim religious leader — a document known as the Abu Dhabi declaration. The Vatican said it was aimed at fostering a new era between Catholics and Muslims.
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