najaf where he had a private meeting with one of iraq's most powerful shiite leaders grand ayatollah ali al sistani. a meeting that was months in the making every detail carefully planned after a photo op the 2 men spoke privately for 40 minutes the ayatollah reportedly telling the pope he also believes christians should be able to live in peace in iraq and enjoy the same rights as other iraqis it's a powerful statement from sistan he who rarely makes his opinions known when he does shiites in iraq and around the world take note. later the pope arrived in the ancient city of moore known as the birthplace of abraham the biblical patriarch revered by christians muslims and jews a fitting place for an interfaith meeting where francis underscored his message for . peace does not demand winners or losers but rather brothers and sisters who for all the misunderstandings and hurts of the past are journeying from conflict to unity. in praying for peace in the middle east the pope singled out syria ravaged by a decade of civil war and he condemned religious extremists who use terrorism to achieve their aims

ayatollah al sistani is very careful with whom he meets.with him once. i think it was in 2003 or '04, right after the iraq war, and at the last minute i got a message saying he will not meet with an american. for some reason he thought that perhaps i had a non-american passport or something like that. he's very careful about the symbolism of who he meets with. is this a sign that that kind of ethnic chauvinism and religious nationalism that seemed to consume iraq for so many years is waning and that people are nostalgic for that multi-ethnic iraq that existed? >> i don't think they ever were opposed to it, by and large. keep in mind, for instance, when you wanted to meet the grand ayatollah back in 2004, 2004, that was after the american invasion. it was a much more sensitive time. but, yes, by and large the ayatollah is very careful about who he meets. for instance, recently the chief justice of iran wanted to meet with sistani and he turned him down. the fact that he was willing to meet in a private meeting, it should be stressed, with po

of his trip to iraq during which in that shia islam's most influential figure the grand ayatollah ali al sistani and discuss the price of iraq's christians a solid binge of aid reports now from the city of najaf where they met. under strict security pope francis enters not just one of the holiest cities for shia muslims another historic 1st for the leader of the catholic church as he met erupts grand ayatollah ali al sistani the reclusive leader who is rarely seen in public he's iraq's most revered cleric and his proclamations have influenced many since the 2003 years of beijing the plight of those being persecuted in the region including palestinians and syrians that discussed. short the pool of equal rights for christians in iraq and peaceful coexistence the meeting between the pope and grand ayatollah ali al sistani is symbolic and significant although the majority or the religious authority says it plays no role in politics audiences tony has played a pivotal part in iraq recently whether it was urging people to take part in politics in elections whether it was to tell them to pick up arms a

their faith own we understand that the meeting between the pope and the grand ayatollah ali al sistani is now over remind our viewers why is this meeting so important why was it so important. so stunning is some sense the head of the largest community the ship community of iraq on his firm occlusive each instance not that make that many political statements actual but the fact that he's chosen to meet even though that meeting is private and you know there's not not that a lot will all come what's come of it i think the fact that they've they've met it's very strange there's sort of strong connection between between the fight between the 2 eucharistic need to understand shia community chichi community of iraq so i think it's it's symbolic for so many so many different reasons but primarily because it shows it shows a strong dollar between the muslim community and christian community of this country. that's one hauled away in erbil really appreciate your time oh well some wealthy nations have already vaccinated millions of people against covert 19 many african countries are struggling to

jobs where he had a private meeting with one of iraq's most powerful shiite leaders grand ayatollah ali al sistani. a meeting that was months in the making every detail carefully planned after a photo op the 2 men spoke privately for 40 minutes the ayatollah reportedly telling the pope he also believes christians should be able to live in peace in iraq and enjoy the same rights as other iraqis it's a powerful statement from sistan he who rarely makes his opinions known when he does shiites in iraq and around the world take note. later the pope arrived in the ancient city of moore known as the birthplace of abraham the biblical patriarch revered by christians muslims and jews a fitting place for an interfaith meeting where francis underscored his message for . peace does not demand winners or losers but rather brothers and sisters who for all the misunderstandings and hurts of the past are journeying from conflict to unity. in praying for peace in the middle east the pope singled out syria ravaged by a decade of civil war and he condemned religious extremists who used terrorism to achieve their aim

he's the first pope to hold talks with grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, a highly influential figure inf ur where the prophet abraham, central to islam, christianity and judaism, is believed to have been born. that meeting with shia muslin cleric, grand ayatollah ali al—sistani was an unprecedented moment. 0ur rome correspondent mark lowen is travelling with the pope and has this update. after the first day of this trip was focused on the politics, and on meeting iraq's dwindling and persecuted christian minority, today was about outreach and dialogue with other faiths, chief among them the meeting this morning with grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, an extremely symbolic moment, the leader of the catholic church face to face with the leader of iraqi shia islam and one of the most influential figures in this country. this was a meeting years, decades in the making. previous popes had wanted to meet the 90—year—old cleric. they failed to do so, failed to come to iraq, pope francis has come here on the first ever papal trip to iraq and had that meeting in najaf. little was released about det

he is due there shortly and he will hold talks with ground ayatollahs ali al—sistani on the spiritual the pope's is it to iraq. but will be carried out very shortly. please stay with us your bbc news. hello. last weekend was a mainly dry weekend across the uk with high pressure in control, and this weekend will be the same. but there is a significant difference between weekends — that word there, cold. a very different feel to things. spring in the air last weekend — 15 celsius in the sunshine. this weekend, with only a few sunny spells around, well, it's closer to 7 degrees. and it feels like winter's still got a bit of life left in it. but it is high pressure across us, so it is going to be mainly dry. just this one weak weather front will deliver a bit of rain into parts of scotland, especially the further north you are. there is milder air out in the atlantic. it will come our way in the week ahead — but that's not the only change coming, as i'll show you in a moment. this is how saturday begins. temperatures well below freezing. in the coldest parts, a widespread frost to start t

that was referring to the meeting between grand ayatollah al sistani and franz.t really is having an impact far broader than the christian community. keeping in mind, of course, that this is a country of 40 million people. and the christians make up maybe 300,000. >> ben wedeman, thank you so much. >>> the coronavirus vaccine rollout here in the u.s. is certainly picking up steam. the centers for disease control and prevention say almost 3 million doses were administered since it last published its figures on friday. the total now stands at 88 million. and more people now say they are willing to get vaccinated. a new kaiser family foundation poll found 55% of americans want to get a shot as soon as possible or have already gotten their first dose, up from 34% in december. then also embattled venezuelan president nicholas maduro received his first dose of russia's sputnik v vaccine on saturday. he posted this video to his twitter account and can be heard saying "it hurt" after getting a shot. he blamed international sanctions for interfering with the country's abi

today, the grand ayatollah ali al—sistani spoke about the christian citizens.an important, not just christian people, important, notjust christian people, christian citizens. that is what we need. a state of citizens, which is not there yet. irate what we need. a state of citizens, which is not there yet.— what we need. a state of citizens, which is not there yet. we have to leave it there. _ which is not there yet. we have to leave it there. thank _ which is not there yet. we have to leave it there. thank you - which is not there yet. we have to leave it there. thank you so - which is not there yet. we have to leave it there. thank you so much | leave it there. thank you so much forjoining us. pressure is mounting on the uk government over its proposed pay offer of 1% for health workers in england — after it was claimed that a long—term plan had assumed an increase of double that. nhs providers — which represents trusts in england — accused ministers of "snatching planned pay rises from the pockets of deserving nhs staff". four health unions have written to th

he's the first pope to hold talks with grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, a highly influential figure inpope francis has now arrived in the ancient city of ur where the prophet abraham — central to islam, christianity and judaism — is believed to have been born. our correspondent mark lowen reports. if the first day of pope francis�* visit to iraq was about the politics and about meeting the country's dwindling christian community, today was about the outreach towards other faiths, most notably a meeting this morning with the country's top shia cleric, grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, bringing together the leader of the world's catholics with perhaps the most powerful and influential figure in shia islam. it's thought that they discussed interfaith dialogue and the violence that iraqi christians have long suffered. then the pope came on here to ur, the ancient birthplace of the prophet abraham, in which he met again with members of other religions and he spoke of how hostility and extremism and violence were, in his words, "the betrayal of religion". he spoke in favour of peace, unity and

jobs where he had a private meeting with one of iraq's most powerful shiite leaders grand ayatollah ali al sistani. a meeting that business months in the making every detail carefully. planned after a photo op the 2 men spoke privately for 40 minutes the ayatollah reportedly telling the pope he also believes christians should be able to live in peace in iraq and enjoy the same rights as other iraqis it's a powerful statement from says dani who rarely makes his opinions known when he does shiites in iraq and around the world take note. later the pope arrived in the ancient city of moore known as the birthplace of abraham the biblical patriarch revered by christians muslims and jews a fitting place for an interfaith meeting where francis underscored his message for . peace does not demand all winners or losers but rather brothers and sisters who for all the misunderstandings and hurts of the past are journeying from conflict to unity. in praying for peace in the middle east the pope singled out syria ravaged by a decade of civil war and he condemned religious extremists who used terrorism to achieve

visit high on the pope met with one of the most powerful thinkers and shiite islam grand ayatollah ali al sistani why was as meeting so important he was extremely important because as you say these words powerful shortly but not soon iraq iran that whole middle east so i think the meeting of them to give a joint message of unity armas streaming importantly and also signals a lot that's cheerful as to you know to actually go along with that with their own christian brethren of iraq sort of a very strong message was additionally the arts for a very private man growing makes political statements or a few of them so the fact that he came out and said so. i think it's really really really powerful so several times since his arrival already pope francis has denounced extremism and violence in the name of religion but realistically what can he achieve on this trip as far as interfaith dialogue goes. i think one of communitarian level you know social level one of these theories very powerful because it suits you but essentially the christians you've been persecuted yes and since the start up arm you can

grand ayatollah ali al—sistani face—to—face with pope francis.ves and generations to get here. the two religious leaders spoke of friendship to overcome oppression, rare unity after iraq's sectarian conflict. that theme of dialogue then spread further to the remains of ur, biblical birthplace of abraham. and in the shadow of its ancient citadel, pope francis met followers of other faiths. gestures of respect to those often sidelined and victims of iraq's wars now brought together in a plea for peace. translation: hostility, _ extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart. they are betrayals of religion. we believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion. from these windswept plains, the pope is using the symbolism of the ancient prophet, evoking the figure of abraham, revered by christians, muslims and jews, to try to spur reconciliation between religions today. and then it was on to mass, pope francis hoping to persuade a dwindling christian community to remain. iraq's patchwork of people came together today. but as this cou

later today, francis is due to meet one of the most powerful figures in shia islam, grand ayatollah al—sistanithe un's special envoy on myanmar has told the security council that democracy must be restored to the country. christine schraner said anti—coup demonstrators were beginning to lose faith in the united nations. protests against last month's military takeover have been met by an increasingly violent response by the military and security forces. the head of the world health organization says there must be no let—up in the fight against covid—19 — he warns there could be further waves of the disease ahead. dr tedros ghebreyesus said it was a mistake to think that falling death rates in some countries meant the worst was over. green spaces are known to improve health and wellbeing, and for many people gardens have been a real help during the pandemic. and it seems the uk is getting greener. the royal horticultural society says a0 square miles of new trees, flowers and grass has been created across the uk over the last five years. tim muffett reports. that garden has got me through what ha

muslims another historic 1st for the leader of the catholic church as he met iraq's grand ayatollah ali al sistani is a reclusive leader who is rarely seen in public he's iraq's most revered cleric and his proclamations have influenced many since the 2003 u.s. invasion the plight of those being persecuted in the region including palestinians and syrians discussed. short the point of equal rights for christians in iraq and peaceful coexistence the meeting between the pope and grand ayatollah ali al sistani is symbolic and significant although the majority of the religious authority says it plays no role in politics audiences tiny has played a pivotal part in iraq recently whether it was urging people to take part in politics in elections whether it was to tell them to pick up arms against isis and more recently in the favor of the protesters clerics in najaf say the pope's visit has highlighted iraq's central place for all religions and is a brave gesture from pope francis in the face of security challenges and the pandemic rejali dean home. clerics through their words and behavior convert the mess

pope francis has met the influential shia muslim cleric — grand ayatollah ali al—sistani — during thee delivered an impassioned condemnation of extremism and violence, saying that believers could not remain silent when terrorism abused religion. later, he celebrated a public mass at stjoseph's cathedral in baghdad. 0ur rome correspondent mark lowen has been travelling with the pope and has sent this report. peace in iraq will take time to flourish. but this visitor is determined to see it. along the narrow alley ways and into an historic meeting of two faiths, catholic and shieh islam, grand ayatollah ali al—sistani face—to—face al—sistani face—to—face with pope francis. at 90 and 84, it has taken long lives and generations to get here. the two religious leaders spoke of friendship to overcome oppression, rare unity after iraq's secretarian and conflict. that theme of dialogue then spread further to the remains of the biblical birthplace of abraham. and in the shadow of its ancient citadel, pope francis met followers of other faiths. gestures respect to those often sidelined and victi

most notably a meeting this morning with the country's top shia cleric, grand ayatollah ali al—sistanis catholics with perhaps the most powerful and influential figure in shia islam. it's thought that they discussed interfaith dialogue and the violence that iraqi christians have long suffered at the hands of armed shia groups. then the pope came on here to ur, the ancient birthplace of the prophet abraham, in which he met again with members of other religions. he spoke of how hostility and extremism and violence were, in his words, the betrayal of religion. he spoke in favour of peace, unity and against hatred. so, the meeting this morning, perhaps the most symbolic moment of this trip, and then the dialogue here in ur as well, very much the cornerstone of pope francis�*s attempts to reach out to other religions. and using a figure of abraham, revered by christians, muslims and jews, to try to spur reconciliation today. the archbishop bashar matti warda leads the chaldean catholic community in erbil, where the pope will be visiting tomorrow. he said it was an important visit. historica

violence, just one reason for francis' meeting tomorrow with iraq's senior shi'a cleric grand ayatollah al-sistanihe pontiff said today, iraq's religious diversity is a precious resource, not an obstacle to eliminate. later in the trip, pope francis will visit towns once occupied by isis, where christians witnessed their families murdered and their churches desecrated. now they'll witness the pope himself saying mass in them. norah. mself saying mass i >> o'donnell: what a historic trip. chris livesay, thank you. well, tonight, a new escalation in the royal feud. in her interview with oprah winfrey, the duchess of sussex describes a stifling atmosphere at buckingham palace. cbs' charlie d'agata has new details from london. >> reporter: in the latest jab at liviving life a as a royal,l, meghan m markle saysys she coult eveven speak w with oprah h winy without t palace person l listenining in, let t alone agro anan interviewew. >> that wawasn't my chchoice to mamake. soso, as an adadult who liliveda rereally indepependent lifife, n go i into this c construct t tht isis... differerent than i i thk wh

leader of the roman catholic church is meeting the most revered figure here in iraq a grand ayatollah ali al sistani a reclusive leader who does not usually meet foreign leaders from what we've gathered we went through the back alleys of niger heavily fortified for the pope's visit and it has been choreographed how the pope's car is going to come how the last 30 meters he'll have to walk because there are 2 small. house the humble abode of. he will greet him and the pope will take his shoes off to go inside just to give you an idea of how important a grand ayatollah ali al sistani is in 2004 it was him who issued the fight for that the iraqis should take part in the political process and elections in 2014 it was his fight for which provided the religious backing for the militias who could take part and play a crucial role in defeating eisen and in 29000 it was his fatah which led to the eventual dismissal of the then government so it is a very significant meeting it is a very important meeting the pope brings with him a message of interfaith dialogue to try and get support from the most important re

the recent years hundreds of thousands of jews to persecution on saturday he'll meet grand ayatollah ali al sistani the highest religious authority for iraq shia muslims some reports of baghdad. a historic trip to a historic land pope francis long held wish to set foot in the homeland of this ancient christian community became reality his visit to boost morale among iraq's christian minority which has dwindled in recent years as a result of war and persecution and he wants to encourage religious coexistence between muslims christians and other religious minorities. the politicians need to promote the spirit of fraternal solidarity there is corruption abuse of power that's not the way at the same time you need to think of justice transparency to strengthen certain values that's how credibility can grow so everyone especially the young people can have hope for the future. this is the 1st time the head of the roman catholic church has visited iraq a country long mired in political economic and security crises most recently the war against eisel and attacks by iranian backed armed groups the iraqi pres

of najaf he had a private meeting with one of iraq's most powerful shiite leaders grand ayatollah ali al sistani. a meeting that was months in the making. every detail carefully planned after a photo op the 2 men spoke privately for 40 minutes the ayatollah reportedly telling the pope he also believes christians should be able to live in peace in iraq and enjoy the same rights as other iraqis it's a powerful statement from sistan he who rarely makes his opinions known when he does shiites in iraq and around the world take note. later the pope arrived in the ancient city of moore known as the birthplace of abraham the biblical patriarch revered by christians muslims and jews a fitting place for an interfaith meeting where francis underscored his message for . peace does not demand the winners or losers but rather brothers and sisters who for all the misunderstandings and hurts of the past are journeying from conflict to unity. in praying for peace in the middle east the pope singled out syria ravaged by a decade of civil war and he condemned religious extremists who used terrorism to achieve thei

leading sunni cleric, and now he's gone to iraq and he's engaged with one of the great shia ayatollahs, al—sistani incredibly important because they've had so many years of persecution, many of them fled and now there seems the hope, perhaps, that they can rebuild. and in going to iraq, pope francis is asking for protection, for the safety of christians there, but more than that, really. the conversations that he had with al—sistani were also about rights, about the importance that christians should have equal rights, should be seen as much as citizens as muslims in that country, and that's something that he continually says about christians in muslim countries. that's why it's so significant, and i think that's what he's trying to get to. he wants people to be reconciled. he talked about the need for forgiveness on the christian side, but he wants that hand of friendship to be there that will also be about actual rights, i think. the reality on the ground is so very different there, isn't it? you can ask and speak to christians to come back. a highly significant part of the world for roman cathol

the presidential palace the next day the pope will fly to the city of najaf and nice grand ayatollah ali al sistani later he'll feller a holy mass in baghdad on sunday pope francis will travel to erbil the capital of iraqi kurdistan in meet with religious sensibilities of the autonomy region osama bin job it reports from baghdad on the security preparations ahead of the pope's visit. baghdad is on high alert for the 1st ever visit to iraq by the leader of the roman catholic church still faces security threats and attacks from isis and militia groups which means iraqi security forces have their work cut out for them or francis will be in 6 cities in 3 days including all requirements have been secured through a plan drawn up by the joint operations command to secure logical and security matters for all the places. the pope will visit whether they are in baghdad not just. all places pope francis has frequently traveled to muslim majority countries and in iraq he will meet one of the world's most influential shiite clerics grand ayatollah ali al sistani the pope's visit is meant to expand on his messag

muslims another historic 1st for the leader of the catholic church as he met iraq's grand ayatollah ali al sistani is a reclusive leader who is rarely seen in public he's iraq's most revered cleric and his proclamations have influenced many since the 2003 u.s. invasion the plight of those being persecuted in the region including palestinians and syrians that discussed. short of equal rights for christians in iraq and peaceful coexistence the meeting between the pope and grand ayatollah ali al sistani is symbolic and significant although the majority or the religious authority says it believes no rule in politics audiences tony has played a pivotal part in iraq recently whether it was urging people to take part in politics in elections whether it was to tell them to pick up arms against isis and more recently in the favor of the protesters. clerics in najaf say the pope's visit has highlighted iraq's central place for all religions and is a brave gesture from for france's in the face of security challenges and the pandemic rejali dean home. clerics through their words and behavior convert the messa

he's the first pope to hold talks with grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, a highly influential figure inpe francis has now arrived in the ancient city of ur where the prophet abraham — central to islam, christianity and judaism — is believed to have been born. from ur, he has now moved to baghdad where he is currently giving mass, as we can see here at the chaldean cathedral of saintjoseph in baghdad. this is part of the eastern tradition in christianity, but it is recognised by the church in rome. the relatively small number of christians now left in the city have obviously appeared across the country in their droves to watch the pope's visit in the country. this is the second day of a four visit, it is longer than most political figures go for. we will listen in to mass. they sing. mass continues this afternoon, perhaps the biggest mass will take place tomorrow, which is the one where he is in the north of the country once again and obviously some date being the most important day of the week for christians. mass thatis day of the week for christians. mass that is expected to be attend

his trip to iraq during which he met one of shia islam's most influential figures grand ayatollah ali al sistani and discussed the plight of iraq's christians the pope also visited the ancient city of erbil eve to be the birthplace of abraham al-jazeera wild is coming up next focusing on marriages for sale i'll have more news for you in about 25 minutes time he then. the. night is on him condemn are the. best and the. last of them claim to know and this will. i voted them in cannes. jenny and put a little nicer knitted men's national along. i got. to. them as to molly. that i would. do to sponsor a man who really dearly. could it tomorrow. that. he didn't make any other kid enough for them to. look to that. of them to measure. them bije go. off without. me. doing this. for my see all. the foremost develop ponces vehement boys who magick. these women. we don't. so this is going to have to. do. the other big. operation mystery did what was. going to do was it about their service you know. there's only the security. is that it. also. runs into history. and they can in. recent. history. say for the.

historic trip to iraq during which he met shia islam's most influential figure the grand ayatollah ali al sistani in the city of najaf that's it for myself and the team here in london if you find asia is next looking at the future of gambling in macau. what should americans be thinking and doing right now it should be about ideas they don't care about their work is all they care about is making money china is not going to be left out of the pot calling for the below defense budget to be cut the bottom line on us politics and policies and they're affecting the world on al-jazeera viewfinder fresh perspectives through the men's of know who filmmakers around the globe. group. the i was i was sure coward's way out. they don't want to know me on something on the. oh you said you also don't want to get out from the. bins all a load of those hoes you see it's all by your whole. watch to. hold on. although you doll chillingly i want to get one or you got her those words old. guy or you to some for i go gaily to see until it warms up on it when you go what you did you got so to show what you. about the. s

held an unprecedented meeting with one of the world's most powerful shiite leaders grand ayatollah ali al sistani with a pair came together on the 2nd day of the pope's historic visit to iraq and issued an appeal for religious tolerance a meeting months in the making every detail had been carefully planned after a photo op the 2 men spoke privately for 40 minutes the ayatollah reportedly told the pulpit he also believes christians in iraq should be able to live in peace and enjoy the same rights as other iraqis it was a powerful statement from stoney who rarely makes his opinions nordan. when he does shiite in iraq under and the world take note. later arrived in the ancient city of who are known as the birthplace of abraham the biblical patriarch revered by christians muslims and jews it was a fitting place for an interfaith meeting at which francis underscored his message . peace does not demand winners or losers but rather the brothers and sisters who for all the misunderstandings and heart of the past are journeying from conflict to unity. after that there were joyous scenes as the pontiff arr

the islamic state and the pontiff is set to meet with iraq's top shia muslim cleric grand ayatollah ali al sistani who has never met with the pope it's a big moment for christians and muslims alike. for more on this i'm joined by d.w. religious affairs correspondent martin jacques martin the pope is now meeting we understand with grand ayatollah. sistani in a nutshell why is this meeting so important. i think generally speaking this has been the policy or the policy position of this vatican which restricts trends and strengthening relations across really just religious boundaries and it has made you know it has made islam one of its name one of its main targets in the sense i mean they are very interested in fostering part of their relations with the world they have done sort of a thorough going where we would. would sunni's and now there is an opportunity for this pope to meet actually one of the main few years of the show were. so. here is that you know the basis the date the ground is being is being said for essentially much more work to be done in the future keep in mind that the vatican has a

martin as we mentioned earlier the pope had a meeting with the grand ayatollah ali al sistani give us a sense of why this meeting was so significant. i think that to think through said about the meeting he said the 1st one there's been a very long term attempt by the vatican to reach you know prominent figures and this is one of the most prominent if not the most prominent fear inside the shia community dane roads to the sunni community in the conversations with sunni for years has been actually fostered for years bed these has proved the shia community has proven much more inclusive that in the one hand and the other hand i mean you know the shia community of iraq and particularly. the more important few years constitute something of a failure. of a soft issue in the connection to iran which of course looms large in question suffer geopolitics in relation to the christian community of course a lot of the buy it and so against christians in iraq and syria now comes from. from shia militants so this is sort of the few year that it's understood to be could become a very important if not

unprecedented meeting yesterday with one of the world's most powerful shiite leaders grand ayatollah ali al sistani the pair came together on the 2nd day of the pope's historic visit and issued an appeal for religious tolerance. a meeting months in the making every detail had been carefully planned after a photo op the 2 men spoke privately for 40 minutes the ayatollah reportedly told the pope that he also believes christians in iraq should be able to live in peace and enjoy the same rights as other iraqis it was a powerful statement from sustain he rarely makes his opinions known when he does shiites in iraq and around the world take note. later. in the ancient city of poor known as the birthplace of abraham the biblical patriarch to feared by christians muslims and jews it was a fitting place for an interfaith meeting at which francis underscored his message . peace does not demand winners or losers but rather the brothers and sisters who for all the misunderstandings and heart of the past are journeying from conflict to unity. after they were joyous scenes as the pontiff arrived to celebrate mas

be supposed to attract a few 1000 people the pope of course had a meeting with the grand ayatollah ali al sistani why is the meeting significant. the meeting is an attend to essentially mend fences we did what he said very important community within iraq which is the shia community the vatican has fostered strong relations or last few years in various troops and in in meetings high level meetings we had with. sunis and this is basically an attempt also made about to going to. forge forge a stronger relation into religious relation area of the world which is a flashpoint in which christian communities under a are under enormous pressure. and i'm curious. particularly non christians reacting to the pope's visit. i think he's quite clearly i mean you can see it in the reports as well it's really you know we've decided that it's putting iraq giving iraq basically a very high profile for a couple of days in the news cycle and obviously to that extent it is welcome at the very same time i mean east. probably one of the strongest indications of some amount of review very sage and indeed iraqi in direct