Axios
Pope Francis on Saturday met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the head of the Shiite Islam religious establishment in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, where he denounced extremism in the country and pushed for peace.What they're saying: “We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion,” the pope said. “Dark clouds of terrorism, war and violence have gathered over this country. All its ethnic and religious communities have suffered.”Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free“From this place, where faith was born, from the land of our father Abraham, let us affirm that God is merciful and that the greatest blasphemy is to profane his name by hating our brothers and sisters,” Francis said. “Hostility, extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart: they are betrayals of religion.”Al-Sistani, in a statement issued by his office after the meeting, maintained that Christians should “live like all Iraqis, in security and peace and with full constitutional rights," noting the “role that the religious authority plays in protecting them, and others who have also suffered injustice and harm in the events of past years.”The Vatican said Francis expressed thanks to al-Sistani for having “raised his voice in defense of the weakest and most persecuted” amid violence in Iraq’s recent history, adding the meeting “underlined the importance of collaboration” between religions.But, the Washington Post notes, "Some of the challenges were evident even Saturday: At the interreligious event occurring in the founding land of Islam, Christianity and Judaism, no Jews were present onstage."The big picture: The four-day visit to Iraq, which is heavily featured in the Old Testament, is largely intended to reassure the Christian minority living in Iraq who have been violently persecuted by the Islamic State. Francis' tour represents the first-ever papal trip to Iraq.In photos: Pope Francis arrives at the Baghdad International Airport on March 5 on the first papal visit to Iraq. Photo: VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi welcomes Pope Francis at Baghdad International Airport's VIP Lounge, on March 5. Photo: AYMAN HENNA/AFP via Getty Images Iraqi President Barham Salih welcomes Pope Francis with an honor guard at Baghdad's Presidential Palace. Photo: Ameer Al Mohammedaw/picture alliance via Getty Images Pope Francis is welcomed by Iraqi President Barham Salih at the presidential palace in Baghdad on March 5. Photo: SABAH ARAR/AFP via Getty Images Muslim clerics listen as Pope Francis speaks at the presidential palace in Baghdad's Green Zone, on March 5. Photo: AYMAN HENNA/AFP via Getty Images Pope Francis delivers a sermon at the Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad at the start of the first ever papal visit to Iraq on March 5. Photo: AYMAN HENNA/AFP via Getty Images Ignatius Joseph III Yunan, Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syriacs applauds as Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Baghdad Ephrem Yousif Abba Mansoor presents Pope Francis with an ornamental candlestick gift after his sermon. Photo: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images Pope Francis is received at the House of Abraham in the ancient city of Ur in southern Iraq's Dhi Qar province, on March 6. Photo: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images Pope Francis speaks with Iraqi religious figures during an interfaith service at the House of Abraham in the ancient city of Ur, on March 6. Photo: AYMAN HENNA/AFP via Getty Images Pope Francis is pictured before his speech at the House of Abraham in the ancient city of Ur, on March 6. Photo: VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty ImagesPope Fracis' itinerary.More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
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