The Takeaway: Iraq takes first steps toward new government: What comes next al-monitor.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from al-monitor.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Anti-government Protests Continued in Iraq s Diwaniya and Najaf basnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from basnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pope Francis arrives for an interreligious meeting on the plain of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq, March 6. (CNS/Paul Haring)
UR, IRAQ Invoking the shared origins of Christians, Muslims and Jews steps from the Ziggurat ruins of the ancient city that the Prophet Abraham once called home, Pope Francis March 6 called on Iraq s religious leaders to help the country heal and rebuild following decades of violence.
In a potent address only about a month after the country s capital suffered its first suicide bombing in two years, the pontiff urged faith leaders to affirm that violence and extremism are betrayals of religion and that hatred of others is the greatest blasphemy.