On the eve of the historic visit of Pope Francis to Iraq, our reporter Fausto Biloslavo visited this tormented land of the Middle East. Many Christians still live here, for whom the Pope’s visit represents an important sign of hope and closeness, after the persecutions they suffered at the hands of terrorists of the Islamic State. An Italian contingent has already been working in the territory for years to defeat the jihadists definitively, and is ready to intervene if necessary to protect the Pontiff and his message of brotherhood.