Dozens of Christians arrived at a church in Baghdad ahead of Pope Francis I's arrival in Iraq, PA Media reported.

This will be the Pope's first visit to the country.

Men, women and children gathered on Friday morning at the Armenian Catholic Church of the Holy Virgin Mary. The Pope’s visit has caused panic among health experts, who fear that crowds will gather to meet with the Pope, PA Media noted.

Francis is breaking his post-year isolation to draw the world's attention to the neglected people, whose northern Christian communities were largely devastated during the violent rule of the Islamic state between 2014-2017.

For the Pope, who has often traveled to places where Christians are a persecuted minority, Iraqi Christians are the epitome of the church of martyrs he has admired since he was a young Jesuit aspiring to become a missionary in Asia.

In Iraq, Francis seeks not only to honor the memory of his martyrs, but also to convey a message of reconciliation and brotherhood.