A historic meeting takes place for the first time: The supreme Shiite leader in Iraq Ali al Sistani receives the Pope of the Vatican at his home in Najaf
The supreme Shiite cleric in Iraq, Ali al Sistani, met on Saturday, at his home in Najaf, with Pope Francis, the Pope of the Vatican, who is currently visiting Iraq.
Ahmed al Sahhaf, the spokesman for the Supreme Committee organizing the visit of the Vatican Pope Francis to Iraq, mentioned earlier that Sistani’s meeting with Pope Francis comes on the second day of his historic visit to Iraq, which is the first of its kind and also an unprecedented visit by the Pope of the Vatican to the city of Najaf, 180 km south of Baghdad, and this meeting raises a spirit of brotherhood, tolerance, interfaith dialogue and the rejection of hatred.
al Sahhaf stated that after the visit, the Pope will fly to the city of Nasiriyah, 375 km south of Baghdad.
He mentioned that His Holiness will visit the ancient city of Ur, marking the start of the first steps of the Hajj there and the performance of the rituals.
He will also attend an interfaith meeting with the presence of a large number of religious figures from different religions and sects in Iraq, then fly to Baghdad to attend the Holy Mass at the Chaldean Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Baghdad.
