Pope Francis and Ayatollah al-Sistani, meeting in faith When Pope Francis sets foot in Iraq, he will be breaking historic ground while manoeuvring religious and political minefields. So will his foremost religious counterpart, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of the Shia Muslim world’s foremost scholars and leaders. By James M. Dorsey The three-day visit contrasts starkly with past papal trips to the Middle East that included Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan, states that, unlike neighbouring Iran, are more accustomed to interfaith interactions because of their Sunni Muslim history and colonial experience or, in the case of Shia-majority Azerbaijan, a modern history of secular and communist rule.