Pope Francis to visit regions of Iraq once held by Islamic State bbc.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bbc.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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media captionPope: We cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion
Pope Francis has condemned extremism in the name of religion on a historic visit to Iraq where he discussed the plight of the Christian minority.
Hostility, extremism and violence are betrayals of religion he told an inter-faith prayer service.
Iraq has been wracked by religious and sectarian violence, both against minorities and between Shia and Sunni Muslims too.
Pope Francis also visited one of Shia Islam s most powerful figures.
Receiving the head of the Roman Catholic Church at his home in the holy city of Najaf, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said Christians should be able to live in peace and security like all other Iraqis.
On his second day of a three-day trip, Francis met Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a spiritual authority for many Shiite Muslims. He also toured the ruins of the ancient city of Ur, traditionally held to be the birthplace of Abraham.
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Голос в защиту гонимых Папа римский поблагодарил аятоллу аль-Систани за защиту христиан Ирака bbc.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bbc.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.