NAJAF, Iraq – Pope Francis begins the second day of his historic Iraq visit on Saturday with an extraordinary meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the top authority for the country’s Shiite Muslims.
The 84-year-old pontiff is defying a second wave of coronavirus cases and renewed security fears to make a “long-awaited” trip to Iraq, aiming to comfort the country’s ancient Christian community, while also deepening his dialogue with other religions.
Having spoken to the faithful in Baghdad on Friday, Francis will travel to the Iraqi shrine city of Najaf early on Saturday to see 90-year-old Sistani.
The two will meet at 9 a.m. (0600 GMT) in Sistani’s humble home …
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