Leaders of Catholic Church and Shia Islam call for religious tolerance in unprecedented meeting
A handout picture provided by the Vatican media office shows Pope Francis meeting top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in the Iraqi shrine city of Najaf (AFP) By Published date: 6 March 2021 10:28 UTC | Last update: 1 month 2 weeks ago
Iraqis have hailed a historic meeting between Pope Francis and the country s most senior Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, at which both reiterated their commitment to religious tolerance.
The meeting came on the second day of the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, with the pope defying a second wave of coronavirus cases and renewed security fears to make a long-awaited trip to the country.
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Iraq s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi (R) welcomes Pope Francis at Baghdad International Airport s VIP Lounge, on March 5, 2021. (Ayman HENNA / AFP)
NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) Pope Francis begins the second day of his historic Iraq visit on Saturday with an extraordinary meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the top authority for the country’s Shiite Muslims.
The 84-year-old pontiff is defying a second wave of coronavirus cases and renewed security fears to make a “long-awaited” trip to Iraq, aiming to comfort the country’s ancient Christian community, while also deepening his dialogue with other religions.
Having spoken to the faithful in Baghdad on Friday, Francis will travel to the Iraqi shrine city of Najaf early on Saturday to see 90-year-old Sistani.
Pope Francis extended his hand to the world's Shiite Muslims on Saturday, meeting top cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in a landmark moment in modern religious history.
NAJAF, March 6 Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the authority for most of the world’s Shiite Muslims, told Pope Francis in a historic meeting in the Iraqi city of Najaf today that the country’s Christians should live in “peace.” The meeting, on the second day of the first-ever papal.