Face to faith – Pope and Ayatollah make history
POPE FRANCIS condemned violent extremism in the name of religion on a historic visit to Iraq yesterday, giving a spiritual boost to the region’s persecuted Christian minority.
The pontiff pleaded for an ‘end to acts of violence and extremism, factions and intolerance’ in a powerfully symbolic message alongside Iraq’s top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
The 84-year-old Catholic leader, who defied security fears and the pandemic to become the first Pope to travel to Iraq, urged the faithful to ‘look beyond our differences’.
He also paid tribute to the ‘ageold presence of Christians in this land and their contributions to the life of the nation’ during a meeting with the reclusive 90-year-old Ayatollah
in the holy city of Najaf. The Musim cleric received the Pope for a 50-minute audience, the pair talking without face masks. The Ayatollah said religious authorities in Iraq have a role in protecting the country’s Christians, adding that they should live in peace and enjoy the same rights as others.
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 IS-bedevilled history.
Pope Francis travelled in a bulletproof car to the golden-domed Imam Ali shrine, one of the most revered sites in Shia Islam. He then walked to al-Sistani’s home.
A group of Iraqis welcomed him outside and, as Francis entered the doorway, white doves were released in a sign of peace.
An official said the Ayatollah, who normally remains seated for visitors, stood to greet Francis at the door.
While Pope Francis has been vaccinated, Iraq has been gripped by a second wave of Covid infection with 5,000 plus new cases a day, prompting authorities to impose a full lockdown during the pontiff’s four-day visit that began on Friday.
The Pope will preside over a halfdozen services in ravaged churches, refurbished stadiums and remote desert locations.
Inside the country, he will travel more than 870 miles, flying over areas where security forces are still battling the remnants of IS forces.