Pope Francis' meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, one of Shiite Islam's top clerics, on Saturday marked a landmark moment in modern religious history and in terms of the former's efforts to deepen interfaith dialogue.

In the meeting on the second day of the pope's first-ever papal visit to Iraq, Sistani told him that the country's Christians should live in "peace".

Pope Francis' meeting with the grand ayatollah in Najaf lasted 50 minutes, and Sistani's office put out a statement shortly afterwards thanking him for visiting the holy city.

Sistani "affirmed his concern that Christian citizens should live like all Iraqis in peace and security, and with their full constitutional rights," it said.

His office published an image of the two, neither wearing masks: Sistani in a black turban with his wispy grey beard reaching down to his black robe and Francis all in white, looking directly at the grand ayatollah.

Pope Francis later addressed the rich spectrum of Iraq's religious communities at Ur, traditional birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, a central figure in the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, where he made an impassioned plea for "unity" after conflict.

The pontiff's trip to Iraq is an effort to both reassure the country's ancient but dwindling Christian community and expand his dialogue with other faiths.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/historic-moment-pope-francis-meets-top-shiite-religious-leader-grand-ayatollah-ali-sistani-in-iraq-368394">Also read | Historic moment: Pope Francis meets top Shiite religious leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Iraq</a>

The pontiff had landed earlier at Najaf airport, where posters featured a famous saying by Ali, the fourth caliph and the Prophet Mohammed's relative, who is buried in the holy city.&nbsp;

"People are of two kinds, either your&nbsp;brothers&nbsp;in faith or your equals in&nbsp;humanity," read the banners. &nbsp;

Francis then headed straight to the desert site of the ancient city of Ur, where Abraham is believed to have been born in the second millenium BC.

"It all started from here," Francis said, after hearing from representatives of Iraq's diverse religious communities.

There were Yazidis, whose ancestral heartland of Sinjar was ravaged by the Islamic State (IS) group in 2014, as well as Mandeans, Kakais, Bahais and Zoroastrians.

Shiite and Sunni sheikhs, as well as Christian clerics, were there. Each was wearing their traditional religious garb, with a dozen different types of robe and headdress on display in the red-carpeted pavilion set up for the visit.

Iraq is a Muslim-majority country of 40 million whose Christian population has shrunk in the past two decades to just one percent, with minorities still complaining of ostracism and persecution.

During his address, the pope said&nbsp;freedom of conscience and of religion were "fundamental rights" that should be respected everywhere.

"We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion," Francis said, in a message of solidarity with the minorities persecuted under IS rule.

He also made an impassioned plea for "unity" after conflict.

"Let us ask for this in praying for the whole Middle East.&nbsp;Here I think especially of neighbouring war-torn Syria," he said.

Following the prayer service in Ur, the pope headed back to Baghdad to celebrate his first public mass in the country, at the Saint Joseph Cathedral.

Francis, a strong proponent of interfaith dialogue, has earlier met top Sunni clerics in several Muslim-majority countries, including Bangladesh, Morocco, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

(with inputs from agencies)

Pope Francis' meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, one of Shiite Islam's top clerics, on Saturday marked a landmark moment in modern religious history and in terms of the former's efforts to deepen interfaith dialogue.

Pope Francis' meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, one of Shiite Islam's top clerics, on Saturday marked a landmark moment in modern religious history and in terms of the former's efforts to deepen interfaith dialogue. In the meeting on the second day of the pope's first-ever papal visit to Iraq, Sistani told him that the country's Christians should live in "peace". Pope Francis' meeting with the grand ayatollah in Najaf lasted 50 minutes, and Sistani's office put out a statement shortly afterwards thanking him for visiting the holy city. Sistani "affirmed his concern that Christian citizens should live like all Iraqis in peace and security, and with their full constitutional rights," it said. His office published an image of the two, neither wearing masks: Sistani in a black turban with his wispy grey beard reaching down to his black robe and Francis all in white, looking directly at the grand ayatollah. Pope Francis later addressed the rich spectrum of Iraq's religious communities at Ur, traditional birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, a central figure in the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, where he made an impassioned plea for "unity" after conflict. The pontiff's trip to Iraq is an effort to both reassure the country's ancient but dwindling Christian community and expand his dialogue with other faiths. Also read | Historic moment: Pope Francis meets top Shiite religious leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Iraq The pontiff had landed earlier at Najaf airport, where posters featured a famous saying by Ali, the fourth caliph and the Prophet Mohammed's relative, who is buried in the holy city. "People are of two kinds, either your brothers in faith or your equals in humanity," read the banners. Francis then headed straight to the desert site of the ancient city of Ur, where Abraham is believed to have been born in the second millenium BC. "It all started from here," Francis said, after hearing from representatives of Iraq's diverse religious communities. There were Yazidis, whose ancestral heartland of Sinjar was ravaged by the Islamic State (IS) group in 2014, as well as Mandeans, Kakais, Bahais and Zoroastrians. Shiite and Sunni sheikhs, as well as Christian clerics, were there. Each was wearing their traditional religious garb, with a dozen different types of robe and headdress on display in the red-carpeted pavilion set up for the visit. Iraq is a Muslim-majority country of 40 million whose Christian population has shrunk in the past two decades to just one percent, with minorities still complaining of ostracism and persecution. During his address, the pope said freedom of conscience and of religion were "fundamental rights" that should be respected everywhere. "We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion," Francis said, in a message of solidarity with the minorities persecuted under IS rule. He also made an impassioned plea for "unity" after conflict. "Let us ask for this in praying for the whole Middle East. Here I think especially of neighbouring war-torn Syria," he said. Following the prayer service in Ur, the pope headed back to Baghdad to celebrate his first public mass in the country, at the Saint Joseph Cathedral. Francis, a strong proponent of interfaith dialogue, has earlier met top Sunni clerics in several Muslim-majority countries, including Bangladesh, Morocco, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. (with inputs from agencies)

Pope Francis, top Shiite cleric plead for 'peace' in historic Iraq meeting

Iraqi youth angry at their government's glacial pace of reform ramped up their protests on Sunday, sealing streets with burning tyres and threatening further escalation unless their demands are met.

The rallies demanding an overhaul of the ruling system have rocked Shiite-majority parts of Iraq since October but had thinned out in recent weeks amid rising <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/foreign-powers-to-discuss-ways-out-libya-crisis-with-rival-camps-275217">Iran-US tensions</a>.

Protesters had feared Iraq would be caught in the middle of the geopolitical storm and last Monday gave the government one week to make progress on reform pledges.

A day before the deadline expires, hundreds of angry young people descended on the main protest camp in Baghdad's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/thousands-of-iraqis-rally-against-government-iran-and-us-273470">Tahrir Square</a> as well as nearby Tayaran Square.

They burned tyres to block highways and bridges, turning back cars and causing traffic jams across the city.&nbsp;

At least 10 people including police officers were wounded when security forces tried to clear the sit-ins with tear gas and protesters responded by throwing rocks, medical and security sources told reporters.&nbsp;

"This is only the first escalation," one protester with a scarf wrapped around his face as smoke from the tyres turned the sky behind him a charcoal grey.

"We want to send a message to the government: Stop procrastinating! The people know what you're doing," he said, adding ominously: "Tomorrow the deadline ends, and then things could get totally of control."&nbsp;

Protesters are demanding early elections based on a reformed voting law, a new prime minister to replace current caretaker premier <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-iran-tensions-washington-turns-down-iraqi-request-to-remove-troops-273509">Adel Abdel Mahdi</a> and that officials deemed corrupt be held to account.

Abdel Mahdi resigned nearly two months ago, but political parties have thus far failed to agree on a successor and he has continued to run the government as a caretaker.

Demonstrators have publicly rejected the names circulating as possible replacements and are furious that other sweeping reform measures have not been implemented.

"We began to escalate today because the government did not respond to our demands, notably forming an independent government that could save Iraq," said Haydar Kadhim, a demonstrator in the southern protest hotspot of Nasiriyah.&nbsp;

"Last Monday, we gave them a deadline of seven days. That deadline ends tonight," Kadhim told reporters.

A fellow protester, 20-year-old university student Mohammad Kareem, said more escalation could come.&nbsp;

"We gave the government a timeframe to implement our demands, but it looks like it doesn't care one bit," he said.

"We will keep up our movement and keep escalating to confront this government, which continues to procrastinate," Kareem told reporters.

Rallies also swelled in the cities of Kut, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/paralysis-in-iraq-as-protesters-harden-position-270033">Diwaniyah</a>, and Amara, where most government offices, schools, and universities have been shuttered for months.

In the holy city of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/thousands-of-mourners-pay-respect-as-qasem-soleimanis-body-reaches-iran-272228">Najaf</a>, youth wrapped in checkered black-and-white scarves and carrying Iraqi flags lit tyres and began a sit-in on a main road leading to the capital.

Further the south in the oil-rich port city of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraqi-security-forces-kill-one-protester-wound-25-sources-275090">Basra</a>, students gathered in an ongoing strike in support of the rallies elsewhere.

The protests are the largest and bloodiest grassroots movement in Iraq in decades, with nearly 460 people dead and over 25,000 wounded since they erupted on October 1.

While the violence at the protests themselves has dropped slightly, activists say they face an escalating campaign of intimidation, kidnapping and assassination attempts.

Young protesters are also apprehensive about a rival protest on January 24 organized by firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr in order to pressure US forces to leave.

Last week, Sadr urged Iraqis to hold "a million-strong, peaceful, unified demonstration to condemn the American presence and its violations".

Iraqi political figures have ramped up their calls for foreign forces&nbsp;including some 5,200 US troops to leave the country following a US drone strike that killed Iran's revered Quds Force chief <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-iran-shot-down-ukranian-passenger-plane-after-us-jets-were-seen-at-its-borders-275045">Qasem Soleimani</a> and top Iraqi military official Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.&nbsp;

Both were key brokers in Iraq's political scene, which has been left reeling by their absence.&nbsp;

Iraq's parliament voted on January 5 in favor of ousting foreign forces but the legal procedure for doing so remains murky.

Bases, where US forces are stationed, have been under a steady stream of rocket attacks for several months that have killed one American contractor and one Iraqi soldier.

Iraqi youth angry at their government's glacial pace of reform ramped up their protests on Sunday, sealing streets with burning tyres and threatening further escalation unless their demands are met.

Iraqi youth angry at their government's glacial pace of reform ramped up their protests on Sunday, sealing streets with burning tyres and threatening further escalation unless their demands are met. The rallies demanding an overhaul of the ruling system have rocked Shiite-majority parts of Iraq since October but had thinned out in recent weeks amid rising Iran-US tensions. Protesters had feared Iraq would be caught in the middle of the geopolitical storm and last Monday gave the government one week to make progress on reform pledges. A day before the deadline expires, hundreds of angry young people descended on the main protest camp in Baghdad's Tahrir Square as well as nearby Tayaran Square. They burned tyres to block highways and bridges, turning back cars and causing traffic jams across the city. At least 10 people including police officers were wounded when security forces tried to clear the sit-ins with tear gas and protesters responded by throwing rocks, medical and security sources told reporters. "This is only the first escalation," one protester with a scarf wrapped around his face as smoke from the tyres turned the sky behind him a charcoal grey. "We want to send a message to the government: Stop procrastinating! The people know what you're doing," he said, adding ominously: "Tomorrow the deadline ends, and then things could get totally of control." Protesters are demanding early elections based on a reformed voting law, a new prime minister to replace current caretaker premier Adel Abdel Mahdi and that officials deemed corrupt be held to account. Abdel Mahdi resigned nearly two months ago, but political parties have thus far failed to agree on a successor and he has continued to run the government as a caretaker. Demonstrators have publicly rejected the names circulating as possible replacements and are furious that other sweeping reform measures have not been implemented. "We began to escalate today because the government did not respond to our demands, notably forming an independent government that could save Iraq," said Haydar Kadhim, a demonstrator in the southern protest hotspot of Nasiriyah. "Last Monday, we gave them a deadline of seven days. That deadline ends tonight," Kadhim told reporters. A fellow protester, 20-year-old university student Mohammad Kareem, said more escalation could come. "We gave the government a timeframe to implement our demands, but it looks like it doesn't care one bit," he said. "We will keep up our movement and keep escalating to confront this government, which continues to procrastinate," Kareem told reporters. Rallies also swelled in the cities of Kut, Diwaniyah, and Amara, where most government offices, schools, and universities have been shuttered for months. In the holy city of Najaf, youth wrapped in checkered black-and-white scarves and carrying Iraqi flags lit tyres and began a sit-in on a main road leading to the capital. Further the south in the oil-rich port city of Basra, students gathered in an ongoing strike in support of the rallies elsewhere. The protests are the largest and bloodiest grassroots movement in Iraq in decades, with nearly 460 people dead and over 25,000 wounded since they erupted on October 1. While the violence at the protests themselves has dropped slightly, activists say they face an escalating campaign of intimidation, kidnapping and assassination attempts. Young protesters are also apprehensive about a rival protest on January 24 organized by firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr in order to pressure US forces to leave. Last week, Sadr urged Iraqis to hold "a million-strong, peaceful, unified demonstration to condemn the American presence and its violations". Iraqi political figures have ramped up their calls for foreign forces including some 5,200 US troops to leave the country following a US drone strike that killed Iran's revered Quds Force chief Qasem Soleimani and top Iraqi military official Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Both were key brokers in Iraq's political scene, which has been left reeling by their absence. Iraq's parliament voted on January 5 in favor of ousting foreign forces but the legal procedure for doing so remains murky. Bases, where US forces are stationed, have been under a steady stream of rocket attacks for several months that have killed one American contractor and one Iraqi soldier.

Iraq: Angry youth step up protest at 'slow pace of reforms'

Protestors clashed with police in&nbsp;Pakistan's southern port city of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-issues-advisory-to-its-carriers-to-avoid-pak-airspace-over-extremist-threat-271757">Karachi</a> on Sunday, as&nbsp;thousands&nbsp;of demonstrators attempted to march toward the&nbsp;US&nbsp;consulate to&nbsp;protest&nbsp;the&nbsp;killing&nbsp;of&nbsp;Iranian&nbsp;military&nbsp;commander&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/thousands-gather-to-pay-homage-to-slain-iran-general-soleimani-in-tehran-272439">Qasem Soleimani</a>.

Soleimani, a powerful&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/latest-updates-on-iran-general-qassem-soleimanis-death-272457">Iranian&nbsp;military&nbsp;commander</a>&nbsp;and the architect of Iran's spreading military influence in the Middle East, was killed in a&nbsp;US&nbsp;drone strike in Iraq on Friday.

In Karachi,&nbsp;thousands&nbsp;of Shiite&nbsp;protestors, including women and children, carrying images of Iran's Supreme Leader <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/it-will-be-a-war-crime-if-us-attacks-irans-cultural-sites-foreign-minister-zarif-272268">Ayatollah Ali Khamenei</a>, as well as of Soleimani, marched and chanted slogans of "Death to America," and "Death to Israel."

The&nbsp;protest&nbsp;was organized by a diverse group of Shiite Muslim organizations.

Pakistani security forces blocked the road leading to the&nbsp;US&nbsp;consulate in Karachi using shipping containers. However, some&nbsp;protestors attempted to push through the security cordon and climb&nbsp;over&nbsp;the containers, leading to scuffles with security forces.

Police were able to push&nbsp;protestors back and prevent them from getting beyond the barricades. Following a brief period of tension on Sunday evening, the demonstration was called off.

Iran, with a Shiite Muslim majority, enjoys a large support base in&nbsp;Pakistan, it's neighbor to the east. Though&nbsp;Pakistan&nbsp;is a Sunni Muslim-majority country, it has a fairly large Shiite population.

"Pakistan&nbsp;should not in any way allow its soil to be used against Iran," a senior cleric, Shahanshah Naqvi, said while addressing the&nbsp;protest&nbsp;rally.

A smaller rally was also held in the capital, Islamabad, where&nbsp;protestors burnt&nbsp;US&nbsp;and Israeli flags.

It dispersed without any violence.

Earlier, the spokesperson of&nbsp;Pakistan's Army told local media the country would not allow its soil to be used against anyone, referring to speculation about an imminent military standoff between the United States and Iran.

He quoted&nbsp;Pakistani Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-pm-imran-khan-condemns-the-nankana-sahib-gurdwara-incident-272270">Imran Khan</a> and the Army chief as saying they wanted a peaceful resolution to all disputes.

Protestors clashed with police in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Sunday, as thousands of demonstrators attempted to march toward the US consulate to protest the killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.

Protestors clashed with police in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Sunday, as thousands of demonstrators attempted to march toward the US consulate to protest the killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani, a powerful Iranian military commander and the architect of Iran's spreading military influence in the Middle East, was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq on Friday. In Karachi, thousands of Shiite protestors, including women and children, carrying images of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as of Soleimani, marched and chanted slogans of "Death to America," and "Death to Israel." The protest was organized by a diverse group of Shiite Muslim organizations. Pakistani security forces blocked the road leading to the US consulate in Karachi using shipping containers. However, some protestors attempted to push through the security cordon and climb over the containers, leading to scuffles with security forces. Police were able to push protestors back and prevent them from getting beyond the barricades. Following a brief period of tension on Sunday evening, the demonstration was called off. Iran, with a Shiite Muslim majority, enjoys a large support base in Pakistan, it's neighbor to the east. Though Pakistan is a Sunni Muslim-majority country, it has a fairly large Shiite population. "Pakistan should not in any way allow its soil to be used against Iran," a senior cleric, Shahanshah Naqvi, said while addressing the protest rally. A smaller rally was also held in the capital, Islamabad, where protestors burnt US and Israeli flags. It dispersed without any violence. Earlier, the spokesperson of Pakistan's Army told local media the country would not allow its soil to be used against anyone, referring to speculation about an imminent military standoff between the United States and Iran. He quoted Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Army chief as saying they wanted a peaceful resolution to all disputes.

Pakistan: Thousands march toward US consulate to protest Soleimani's killing

Hundreds of thousands of white-clad pilgrims, many gripping umbrellas to ward off <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/pompeo-talks-maritime-security-iran-with-saudi-crown-prince-241417&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwibt_Lph_PjAhUG448KHeUwDO0QFjABegQIEBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2E2XKsGbA3DJVE6efEtyOH">Saudi Arabia</a>'s blistering summer sun, descended on Mecca this week ahead of the annual haj.

Saudi officials asked Muslims to focus on rituals of worship, warning against politicising the rite as wars rage on in the region and at a time of heightened tensions between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shiite Muslim adversary Iran.

"Haj...is not a place for political conflicts or to raise sectarian slogans that divide Muslims," Abdulrahman al-Sudais, imam of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, told reporters.

Mecca Governor Prince Khalid al-Faisal asked worshippers earlier this week to "leave all other matters in your countries to discuss when you are back".

Saudi Arabia stakes its reputation on its guardianship of Islam's holiest sites and organising a peaceful haj, which has been marred in the past by deadly stampedes, fires and riots.

Authorities said more than 1.8 million pilgrims had so far arrived in the kingdom for the world's largest annual Muslim gathering, which retraces the route the Prophet Mohammad took 14 centuries ago.

Outside the Grand Mosque, the world's largest, temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius as industrial fans sprayed water.

"All of this is for the sake of the haj," 43-year-old Fatima Sayed from Giza, Egypt, said of the searing heat. "We applied twice before but God didn't permit it, and, thank God, it was a very big surprise that He ordained it for me this year."

Every able-bodied Muslim who has the means should perform the haj at least once in their lifetime under a quota system.

Saudi Arabia has made use of technology to manage the flow of millions at the same place at the same time. This includes electronic identification bracelets, connected to GPS, that were introduced after a 2015 crush killed hundreds of people.

A new highspeed railway linking Mecca and Medina, Islam's second most sacred site, is being used during the haj season for the first time after its inauguration last September.

The pilgrimage is the backbone of a plan to expand tourism under a drive to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil. The haj and the umrah, the year-round lesser pilgrimage, generate billions of dollars in revenues from worshippers' lodging, transport, fees and gifts.

Amjad Khan, a pharmacist from Manchester in Britain, said the new measures made the pilgrimage a smoother experience.

"Here in the company of our brothers from all over the world, it’s a very good feeling," Khan, 36, said.

Hundreds of thousands of white-clad pilgrims, many gripping umbrellas to ward off Saudi Arabia's blistering summer sun, descended on Mecca this week ahead of the annual haj.

Hundreds of thousands of white-clad pilgrims, many gripping umbrellas to ward off Saudi Arabia's blistering summer sun, descended on Mecca this week ahead of the annual haj. Saudi officials asked Muslims to focus on rituals of worship, warning against politicising the rite as wars rage on in the region and at a time of heightened tensions between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shiite Muslim adversary Iran. "Haj...is not a place for political conflicts or to raise sectarian slogans that divide Muslims," Abdulrahman al-Sudais, imam of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, told reporters. Mecca Governor Prince Khalid al-Faisal asked worshippers earlier this week to "leave all other matters in your countries to discuss when you are back". Saudi Arabia stakes its reputation on its guardianship of Islam's holiest sites and organising a peaceful haj, which has been marred in the past by deadly stampedes, fires and riots. Authorities said more than 1.8 million pilgrims had so far arrived in the kingdom for the world's largest annual Muslim gathering, which retraces the route the Prophet Mohammad took 14 centuries ago. Outside the Grand Mosque, the world's largest, temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius as industrial fans sprayed water. "All of this is for the sake of the haj," 43-year-old Fatima Sayed from Giza, Egypt, said of the searing heat. "We applied twice before but God didn't permit it, and, thank God, it was a very big surprise that He ordained it for me this year." Every able-bodied Muslim who has the means should perform the haj at least once in their lifetime under a quota system. Saudi Arabia has made use of technology to manage the flow of millions at the same place at the same time. This includes electronic identification bracelets, connected to GPS, that were introduced after a 2015 crush killed hundreds of people. A new highspeed railway linking Mecca and Medina, Islam's second most sacred site, is being used during the haj season for the first time after its inauguration last September. The pilgrimage is the backbone of a plan to expand tourism under a drive to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil. The haj and the umrah, the year-round lesser pilgrimage, generate billions of dollars in revenues from worshippers' lodging, transport, fees and gifts. Amjad Khan, a pharmacist from Manchester in Britain, said the new measures made the pilgrimage a smoother experience. "Here in the company of our brothers from all over the world, it’s a very good feeling," Khan, 36, said.

'Haj is not a place for political conflicts':Imam of Mecca

shiite-muslim-0

Shiite Muslim, News on Shiite Muslim, stories on Shiite Muslim, articles on Shiite Muslim, Shiite Muslim stories at Wion, Shiite Muslim news, Shiite Muslim latest news

shiite muslim-0

Pope Francis, top Shiite cleric plead for 'peace' in historic Iraq meeting

Iraq: Angry youth step up protest at 'slow pace of reforms'

Pakistan: Thousands march toward US consulate to protest Soleimani's killing

'Haj is not a place for political conflicts':Imam of Mecca