Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, one of Vatican's top diplomats in Iraq, recently shared that Pope Francis is deeply concerned with the current situation in Iraq and that he is expected to visit the country sometime in the future.

"The Holy Father is expected in Iraq both by the Church and the political powers, and even by non-Christians such as the Shiite leadership. I am impressed how great the consensus is concerning the figure of the Pope," he said, in an article posted by ChurchInNeed.

A potential papal visit is projected to last for more than one day, with places such as Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, Baghdad, the seat of government, and Erbil, home of many Christian refugees being key places to visit. Regarding security issues, the Archbishop admitted that this does not fall under his area of expertise but assured the public that everybody involved would do everything possible to ensure the visit's success.

As leader of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Pope remains a high-profile target for radical terrorist groups. In a report at ABS-CBN, the Pope's security team indicated that a potential terror plot was monitored during the Pope's recent visit to Manila, Philippines.

The combined work of military and security officials, however, prevented any such threats from coming to fruition. Should the Pope visit Iraq, security preparations are likely to be exhaustive to prevent any potential threats in the war-torn nation that is partly occupied by the Islamic State.

Archbishop Lingua praised the Iraqi government for their work in rehabilitating the region. "Something has been put in motion; the new government is working well. A fundamental factor is the greater involvement of all groups," he said.

Still, he cautioned that the handling of the crisis in Mosul will determine the future of Christianity in Iraq and expressed hoped for an eventual outcome involving peace and reconciliation.