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Pope, top Iraq Shiite cleric deliver message of coexistence
Pope Francis meets with top Iraq Shiite cleric By Associated Press | March 6, 2021 at 12:28 AM CST - Updated March 7 at 7:20 PM
PLAINS OF UR, Iraq (AP) â Pope Francis walked through a narrow alley in Iraqâs holy city of Najaf for a historic meeting with the countryâs top Shiite cleric Saturday, and together they delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence in a country still reeling from back-to-back conflicts over the past decade.
In a gesture both simple and profound, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani welcomed Francis into his spartan home. The 90-year-old cleric, one of the most eminent among Shiites worldwide, afterward said Christians should live in peace in Iraq and enjoy the same rights as other Iraqis. The Vatican said Francis thanked al-Sistani for having âraised his voice in defense of the weakest and most persecutedâ during some of the most violent times in Iraqâs recent
Two religious leaders sent a message of peace. “The greatest blasphemy is to profane [God’s] name by hating our brothers and sisters,” Pope Francis said.
Pope Francis walked through a narrow alley in Iraq s holy city of Najaf for a historic meeting with the country s top Shiite cleric, and together they delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence in a country still reeling from back-to-back conflicts over the past decade. In a gesture both simple and profound, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani welcomed Francis into his spartan home. Afterward, he said religious authorities have a role in protecting Iraq s Christians, and that Christians should live in peace and enjoy the same rights as other Iraqis. The Vatican said Francis thanked al-Sistani for having raised his voice in defence of the weakest and most persecuted during some of the most violent times in Iraq s recent history. Al-Sistani, 90, is one of the most senior clerics in Shiite Islam, and his rare but powerful political interventions have helped shape present-day Iraq.