POPE MEETS IRAQ'S TOP SHIITE CLERIC ALI SISTANI

  • 06/03/2021

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, spiritual leader of most of the world's Shiite Muslims, told Pope Francis in a historic meeting in Iraq on Saturday that the country's Christians should live in "peace."The meeting, on the second day of the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, marked a landmark moment in modern religious history and a milestone in Francis's efforts to deepen dialogue with other religions.He later addressed the rich spectrum of Iraq's religious communities at Ur, the traditional birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, a central figure in the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, where he made an impassioned plea for "unity" after conflict.

The 84-year-old pontiff's trip to Iraq is an effort to both comfort the country's ancient but dwindling Christian community and deepen his dialogue with other faiths.His meeting with the grand ayatollah lasted 50 minutes, with Sistani's office putting out a statement shortly afterwards thanking Francis for visiting the holy city of Najaf.Sistani, 90, "affirmed his concern that Christian citizens should live like all Iraqis in peace and security, and with their full constitutional rights," it said.Sistani is extremely reclusive and rarely grants meetings but made an exception to host Francis, an outspoken proponent of interreligious dialogue.

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