Anmar Khalil, Nicole Winfield and Qassim Abdul-Zahra
Associated Press
NAJAF, Iraq After his historic meeting with Pope Francis on Saturday, Iraq’s top Shiite cleric affirmed that religious authorities have a role in protecting Iraq’s Christians and said they should live in peace and enjoy the same rights as other Iraqis.
For its part, the Vatican said Francis thanked Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and the Shiite people for having “raised his voice in defense of the weakest and most persecuted” during some of the most violent times in Iraq’s recent history.
He said al-Sistani’s message of peace affirmed “the sacredness of human life and the importance of the unity of the Iraqi people.” The Vatican said the historic visit was a chance for Francis to emphasize the need for collaboration and friendship between different religious communities.
To improve the performance of our website, show the most relevant news products and targeted advertising, we collect technical impersonal information about you, including through the tools of our partners. You can find a detailed description of how we use your data in our Privacy Policy. For a detailed description of the technologies, please see the Cookie and Automatic Logging Policy.
By clicking on the Accept & Close button, you provide your explicit consent to the processing of your data to achieve the above goal.
You can withdraw your consent using the method specified in the Privacy Policy.
Accept & Close
Sputnik International
This is the Pope s first foreign visit in 15 months and it comes as part of a move to preserve Iraq’s ancient Christian communities and support the return of the.
Pope Francis lands in Iraq amid COVID-19 spread, security tensions - vanguardngr.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vanguardngr.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
2021/03/05 21:35 President Joe Biden congratulates NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars 2020 Perseverance team for successfully landing on Mars during a virtual call . President Joe Biden congratulates NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars 2020 Perseverance team for successfully landing on Mars during a virtual call in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, Thursday, March 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) People stand by the road as they wait for Pope Francis, in Baghdad Iraq, Friday, March 5, 2021. Pope Francis heads to Iraq on Friday to urge the count. People stand by the road as they wait for Pope Francis, in Baghdad Iraq, Friday, March 5, 2021. Pope Francis heads to Iraq on Friday to urge the country s dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)