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Pope Francis holds historic meeting with Iraq's top cleric

Najaf - Pope Francis arrived in Iraq on Friday and met with senior government officials on the first-ever papal visit to the country.

Iraq’s Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the top religious authority for most Shia Muslims, hosted the head of the world’s Catholics, Pope Francis, on Saturday in the shrine city of Najaf.

Sistani, 90, almost never holds meetings but made an exception for 84-year-old Francis, who is making the first-ever papal trip to Iraq to encourage dwindling Christians and extend his hand to Shia Muslims.

The historic meeting in Al Sistani’s humble home was months in the making, with every detail painstakingly discussed and negotiated between the Ayatollah’s office and the Vatican.

Pope Francis arrived in Iraq on Friday and met with senior government officials on the first-ever papal visit to the country. It is also his first international trip since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.Iraqis have welcomed the visit and the international attention it has given the country as it struggles to recover from decades of war and unrest.