Pontiff to pay Shiite leader a home visit
Pope Francis will meet Iraq’s most important Shiite leader and make history with a message of coexistence in a country plagued by bitter divisions.
The opinions of Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani hold powerful sway far beyond the streets of Iraq. The meeting will resonate even in neighbouring Iran.
Pope Francis and Mr Al Sistani are to meet on Saturday for as long as 40 minutes. For part of that time they will be alone, except for interpreters, in the Shiite leader’s modest home in the city of Najaf.
Mr Al Sistani, 90, was born in the Iranian city of Mashhad. He moved to Najaf in 1952 to study with some of the era’s most prominent thinkers, eventually becoming part of the senior clerical leadership, called Hawza, in 1993.
He rose to international prominence after the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. A year later he brokered a truce between US and Iraqi forces and fighters loyal to Moqtada Al Sadr, ending the battle of Najaf. He has advocated a separation of religion and the state in Iraq.
Mr Al Sistani is also reclusive and frail. In January last year his office announced he had undergone surgery for a broken thigh bone.
He does not make public appearances and his sermons are delivered by representatives. He rarely receives foreign dignitaries.
The Pope and Mr Al Sistani will make gestures of mutual respect. Mr Al Sistani’s rented home is in an alleyway too narrow for vehicles, so the Pope will walk 30 metres to his door.
He will remove his shoes to enter. His host, who normally remains seated for visitors, will stand to greet his guest.