During early March Pope Francis held a historic meeting with Iraq’s top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, making a powerful appeal for peace in a country torn by sectarianism and violence. Their meeting in the holy city of Najaf was the first time a Pope has met with such a senior Shia cleric since the 7th century. Pope Francis condemned violent religious extremism during an interfaith prayer service at the site of the ancient city of Ur, where the Prophet Abraham is thought to have been born. ‘We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion,” he told the congregation, which included members of religious minorities persecuted under the Islamic State group’s three-year rule of much of northern Iraq. The pope urged Iraq’s Muslim and Christian religious leaders to put aside animosities and work together for peace and unity. “This is true religiosity: to worship God and to love our neighbour,” he told the gathering. – Dr Greta Sykes
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