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Pope Francis has met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most powerful Shiite cleric, to discuss the security of Iraq’s Christian minority. The meeting took place in the city of Najaf during the pope’s historic visit to Iraq on Saturday. The British media BBC reported this news.
This is the Pope’s first trip abroad since the Corona epidemic began. It is also the first time that a Pope has visited Iraq. This is considered to be the Pope’s most dangerous visit to date, given the risk of Kovid-19 infection and security concerns. Ayatollah met the Pope at his residence in the holy city of Najaf.
It is very rare to meet Ayatollah Al-Sistani. You don’t usually meet people. But he spoke to the Pope for about 50 minutes. Neither was wearing a mask at the time.
Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani said he was concerned that Christian citizens, like everyone else in Iraq, could not live in peace and security and with full constitutional rights.
The Associated Press (AP) reports that Pope Francis thanked the Ayatollah for speaking on behalf of the country’s “weakest and most oppressed people” at one of the most violent moments in Iraq’s recent history.
The pope said the Shiite leader’s message of peace “reaffirmed the importance of unity among the various communities of Iraq and that the lives of all people are sacred and precious.”
The office of al-Sistani, the religious leader of millions of Shiite Muslims, said the two leaders had emphasized the importance of peace in their talks.
Before the meeting, Pope Francis, a 64-year-old Catholic clergyman, told reporters that he felt it was his “duty” to make the “symbolic visit.”
The Pope will visit several places during his four-day visit to Iraq. You will visit the ancient city of Ur. That city is a sacred place for Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It is believed that Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) was born here.
Some 10,000 Iraqi security forces have been deployed to ensure the Pope’s safety during his visit. In addition, a 24-hour curfew has been imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Several extremist Shiite groups have opposed the Pope’s visit. They say that the Pope’s visit is a blow to the internal affairs of the West.
Due to security concerns and the rapid increase in Covid-19 infection, the Pope’s program in Iraq and his access to the public have been limited.
Pope Francis has also been vaccinated with two doses of the biotech vaccine Pfizer and his entourage. But there is a fear that the coronavirus will spread widely if there are large crowds to see the Pope.
After the Pope arrived in Iraq on Friday, he was seen dragging his feet. The idea is that your sciatica problem may have increased again.
Pope Francis will visit Mosul on Sunday. There, in Church Square, he will pray for those killed in the war with the Islamic State (IS). The war in Iraq with ISIS has killed thousands of civilians in the country.
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