The pope traveled to the holy city of Najaf, the third most important city for Shia Muslims. It houses the tomb of Muhammad's son-in-law, making it an important pilgrimage site for Muslims.<\/p>\n
Pope Francis was welcomed by authorities and children who gave him white and yellow roses, the colors of the Vatican flag.<\/p>\n
In another part of the city, white doves were released as a sign of peace.<\/p>\n
After a drive through the narrow streets of Najaf, the pope reached the residence of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, leader of the Iraqi Shia community, which makes up more than 60 percent of the population. Al-Sistani is a key figure of Shi'ism, one of the two main branches of Islam.<\/p>\n
The 45-minute meeting was held in the religious leader's modest home, where he welcomes people from all walks of life.<\/p>\n
Pope Francis highlighted the importance of fostering friendship between religions and cultivating respect and dialogue to positively contribute to the good of Iraq, the region and all humanity.<\/p>\n
The pope thanked the Grand Ayatollah and all Shia Muslims who have raised their voices to defend the weakest and those who have faced persecution during the last years.<\/p>\n
The Shia leader in turn, affirmed his interest in seeing \u201cChristian citizens living like all Iraqis in peace and security while preserving all their constitutional rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2014 Ali al-Sistani condemned ISIS. His action contributed to the fall of the self-proclaimed Islamic State and proved the weight of his moral influence in the Islamic world, showing that there is a foundation to initiate a dialogue.<\/p>\n
Daniel D\u00edaz Vizzi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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