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News > Iraq

Pope Francis Meets Shiite Leader Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Iraq

  • Pope Francis I (L) and Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani (R) during their meeting on March 6, 2021, Najaf, Iraq.

    Pope Francis I (L) and Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani (R) during their meeting on March 6, 2021, Najaf, Iraq. | Photo: Ali-Sistani Office

Published 6 March 2021
Opinion

Pope Francis on Saturday met Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest religious authority of Shiite Muslims. The meeting took place in Najaf city during the first day of his official visit to Iraq.

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The religious leaders met in the afternoon hours and behind closed doors. The exchange lasted almost an hour, so it was not a formal exchange, but it is expected to have addressed issues of importance.

To finish his first day of visit, the Holy Pontiff will visit the city of Ur and offer a mass in St. Jose Cathedral in Baghdad. High state officials will attend the mass, among them Iraq's President Barham Salih.

Besides, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has proclaimed March 6 as "Tolerance and coexistence Day" to commemorate the meeting between the two religious authorities.

It is Pope Francis' first international trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first one made by a Pontiff to Iraq, which represents a rapprochement of the Catholic Church to the Shiite branch of Islam.

Previously, on Feb. 4, 2019, Francis I had a similar gesture with the Sunni branch of Islam after signing the "Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Common Coexistence" with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyib during the Interreligious Meeting at the Founder's Memorial in Abu Dhabi.

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