Thursday 28 March 2024 
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A short reflection of
Pope’s visit to Iraq

Ahmad Reza Roohallahzad

Qodsna (Tehran) - Pope Francis held a historic meeting with top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Iraq Saturday and appealed for greater interfaith unity between religions.

 

Pope Francis's historic visit to Iraq and his meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani should be considered from different angles:

 

Pope Francis, as the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, visited Iraq while Christian Iraqis don’t have any affiliation to the Catholic Church and they are considered as Chaldean, Assyrian, and Orthodox Christians. This matter raises some questions about the goals and the agenda of the visit.

 

During his previous visits to other countries, Pope Francis has only met political officials, and his meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani as one of the most important and respected Shia clerics was an unusual action, which indicates the importance of the meeting for those who set the schedule of Pope’s visit to Iraq.

 

Since a month prior to the visit, a huge wave of media coverage on the matter started, and the meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was defined as the turning point of Pope’s visit, an issue that increases strange aspects of the visit.
 

A part of Pope’s visit to Iraq was dedicated to his traveling to the ancient city of Ur in southern Iraq, the traditional birthplace of Abraham, the biblical patriarch revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, to give a speech on matters such as achieving peace and stopping military actions without pointing out the occupation of Palestine or the US military presence in Iraq. Given these details, it is obvious that Pope Francis had a special mission in his visit to Iraq to consolidate Western-Zionist plans and goals.

 

Ignoring the fact that the Prophet Abraham was a symbol for worshiping the God, and an icon for fighting with oppression, Pope Francis encouraged countries to achieve peace, as some Arab regimes have recently normalized their relations with the Zionist regime, which are labeled as Abraham accords by the United States. This indicates that the hidden goal is to misuse the name of a holy prophet in favor of Zionists and Occupiers.

 

It seems that media coverage on the meeting between Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and highlighting the matter of peace is an attempt to create division between Iran and Iraq’s religious authorities and to induce a false idea that Iran’s religious authority is not peaceful.

 

However, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani didn’t allow the Pope to succeed in his mission. His Eminence Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani perceived the hidden goals and preferred to highlight Iran’s concerns about the Islamic world including Muslim problems in Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria. This matter indicates that Shia religious authority has a unified viewpoint concerning the problems and challenges of Muslim nations. This is the reason why Shias have always supported their religious leaders throughout history. Is the Pope seeking peace or division?

 

The simplicity of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, which is a reflection of the livelihood of Ali ibn Abi Talib the first Imam of Shia Muslims, is well-known. The unique way of his hospitality in his small house reflects the sincerity of Shiite leaders in their words, behavior, and deeds.

 

It is more appropriate that media outlets pay more attention to the awareness and wisdom of the Shia religious authority than covering Pope’s ambiguous visit to Iraq in order to highlight different aspects of the religious leadership of Islam in this meeting.

 

News-ID: O.T-70




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