The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has visited Iraq for the first time.
He was there to take part in an important meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the leader of the world’s Shia Muslims.
The two met to promote peace and unity in a historic meeting. Their meeting took around 30minutes.
Sistani was dressed in black while Francis was dressed all in white.
Neither man wore a face mask during the intimate encounter at Sistani’s modest rented home in the holy city of Najaf.
The pope removed his shoes before entering Sistani’s room, as a sign of respect. While the Muslim cleric, who normally remains seated for visitors, stood to greet Francis at the door of his room. this was considered a rare honour.
The meeting is being considered a landmark moment in modern religious history and a milestone in Francis’s efforts to deepen dialogue with other religions.
