Pope Francis' meeting with Shiite leader Ali Al-Sistani in 2021 was brief but appears to have borne fruit.
Shiite representatives came to Rome to participate in a congress organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio and the Al-Khoei Institute from Iraq. Representatives from Iran, Lebanon, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, such as Maytham al-Khunaizi, a Shiite seminary professor, were also present for the meeting.
al-Khunaizi says they have come here to express their rejection of violence and extremism because God created everyone to live in peace.
Among the speakers who opened the meeting was Jawad Al-Khoei, secretary general of the Imam Al-Khoei Institute.
He said it is important to remember that religion should not be a reason for division but for unity.
Among those present was Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako of Iraq, who stressed that Pope Francis has taken an important step in strengthening relations with Islam.
CARD. LOUIS RAPHAËL SAKO
Patriarch of the Chaldean Church, Iraq
The pope already knows how to dialogue with Islam. This needs to be emphasized.
When he was in Egypt, Abu Dabi but also in Iraq, when he visited the Grand Ayatola Al Sistani, his message was short but hasn't changed: “We are a part of you and you are a part of us.”
Pope Francis has visited several Muslim countries, most of which have a Sunni Islam majority. But he has not visited Iran, where many of those present at the meeting come from.
In recent months, the Vatican and Iran have taken steps to bolster relations from a religious and political point of view. In May, Pope Francis received Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, president of the Islamic seminaries of Iran. And in July, Iran's foreign minister held a two-hour meeting with the Vatican Secretary of State.
JRB
TR: KG
