• France 24:

A landmark interfaith meeting in the holy city of Najaf

The head of the Catholic church visited the home of Iraq’s most senior Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, with a message of peace.

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani “affirmed his concern that Christian citizens should live like all Iraqis in peace and security, and with their full constitutional rights”

Francis thanked Sistani and the Shiite people for having “raised his voice in defence of the weakest and most persecuted” during some of the most violent times in Iraq’s recent history.

The Pope said Sistani’s message of peace affirmed “the sacredness of human life and the importance of the unity of the Iraqi people”.

• The Guardian:

The pope removed his shoes before entering Sistani’s room. The Muslim cleric, who normally remains seated for visitors, stood to greet Francis at the door of his room – a rare honor.

• NBC News:

The first meeting in history between the head of the Catholic Church and the head of the Shia Islamic establishment – the Hawza:

The pilgrimage to historic Babylon has been a dream of former popes – a visit to the birthplace of Abraham, patriarch of Jews, Christians and Muslims. But it also marks what is believed to be the first meeting in history between the head of the Catholic Church and the head of the Shia Islamic establishment – the Hawza – now led by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of the most influential religious authorities in the Muslim world.

The meeting between the 84-year-old pope and the 90-year-old ayatollah is a profound statement about the importance of tolerance and dialogue in a turbulent region where too many people believe violence is a solution to fix broken societies. Both Francis and Sistani have consistently condemned violence committed in the name of religion.

• BBC:

Pope Francis has condemned extremism in the name of religion on a historic visit to Iraq

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said Christians should be able to live in peace and security like all other Iraqis.

• The Washington Post:

“We need one another,” Francis said from a stage on the desert plain of Ur, said to be the birthplace of Abraham, a patriarch for Muslims, Christians and Jews. In the audience for his message were Catholic prelates and leaders from other faiths.

• Al Jazeera:

The meeting was a significant milestone in Iraqi history and the global history of interfaith dialogue.

• Vatican News:

Shahrazad Houshmand, an Iranian theologian and member of the Women’s Council of the Pontifical Council of Culture said, Al Sistani can be defined as “rabbani”, which means “wise religious man”, “in the sense that besides having made a very deep and wide study of theology, of the history of the Koran, of Islamic tradition and law, he is above all a spiritual figure who gathers and unifies the Iraqi people.”

• CBC:

The historic meeting in al-Sistani’s humble home:

Pope Francis and Iraq’s top Shia cleric delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence, urging Muslims in the war-weary Arab nation to embrace Iraq’s long-beleaguered Christian minority during a historic meeting in the holy city of Najaf.

Al-Sistani, 90, is one of the most senior clerics in Shia Islam, and his rare but powerful political interventions have helped shape present-day Iraq. He is a deeply revered figure in Shia-majority Iraq, and his opinions on religious and other matters are sought by Shias worldwide.

• The White House:

Interfaith Understanding

Pope Francis’ visit was a historic and welcome first for the country. It sent an important message, as Pope Francis said himself, that “fraternity is more durable than fratricide, that hope is more powerful than death, that peace more powerful than war.”

To see Pope Francis visit ancient religious sites, including the biblical birthplace of Abraham, spend time with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf, and offer prayers in Mosul — a city that only a few years ago endured the depravity and intolerance of a group like ISIS — is a symbol of hope for the entire world.