Jubilee Post News & Views
Special Desk
Discussions have been held for safety of Christians in Iraq. Pope Francis discussed the issue with one of most powerful Shia figures, Ali al-Sistani, in a landmark trip made by the Pope.
In Iraq, Christians have been hit by waves of violence over the years. The office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, spiritual leader of millions of Shia Muslims, said the talks emphasised peace. The ayatollah received his guest at his home in the holy city of Najaf.
The Pope is on his first international trip since the start of the pandemic – and the first ever papal visit to Iraq.
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Covid-19 and security fears have made this his riskiest trip yet. The 84-year-old leader of the Catholic Church earlier said that he had felt “duty bound” to make the journey, which will see him visit several sites over four days in Iraq.
Iraq’s Christian minority has experienced considerable violence since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Grand Ayatollah Sistani “affirmed his concern that Christian citizens should live like all Iraqis in peace and security, and with their full constitutional rights”.
Pope Francis thanked the ayatollah for having “raised his voice in defense of the weakest and most persecuted” during some of the most violent times in Iraq’s recent history.
Pope Francis will later travel to the ancient city of Ur, where the Prophet Abraham – central to Islam, Christianity and Judaism – is believed to have been born.
Some Shia militant groups have reportedly opposed the visit, suggesting the tour amounts to Western interference in the country’s affairs.
