NAJAF, Iraq: Pope Francis extended his hand to the world's Shiite Muslims on Saturday, meeting top cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in a landmark moment in modern religious history.
The two elderly, respected men of religion met at Sistani's humble home in the shrine city of Najaf early on Saturday (Mar 6), the second day of the first-ever papal visit to Iraq.
Pope Francis’ meeting in the holy southern city of Najaf, during a whirlwind and risky tour of Iraq, marked the first time a pope has met with such a senior Shiite cleric.
The 84-year-old pontiff is defying a second wave of coronavirus cases and renewed security fears to make a "long-awaited" trip to Iraq, aiming to comfort the country's ancient Christian community, while also deepening his dialogue with other religions.
He landed at the Najaf airport, where posters had been set up featuring a famous saying by Ali, the fourth caliph and the Prophet Mohammed's relative, who is buried in the holy city.
"People are of two kinds, either your brothers in faith or your equals in humanity," read the banners.
State-owned Ekhbariya television showed the pope's large convoy moving through Najaf, where children lined a street and waved Iraqi and Vatican flags at the leader of the world's Catholics.
He stepped out in one of Najaf's tiny alleyways and an AFP correspondent saw him cross the threshold into Sistani's office.
No press were allowed inside the meeting as the 90-year-old Grand Ayatollah is highly reclusive and almost never seen in public.
After his meeting with Sistani, Pope Francis headed to the ruins of ancient Ur in southern Iraq, revered as the birthplace of Abraham, father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He is scheduled to give a speech at an inter-religious meeting.
After flying back to Baghdad, he is expected to deliver mass at the Chaldean Cathedral of Saint Joseph.
The visit is one of the highlights of Pope Francis' four-day trip to war-scarred Iraq, where Sistani has played a key role in tamping down tensions in recent decades.
It took months of careful negotiations between Najaf and the Vatican to secure the one-on-one meeting.
"We feel proud of what this visit represents and we thank those who made it possible," said Mohamed Ali Bahr al-Ulum, a senior cleric in Najaf.
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