Pope Francis left the residence of Iraq's top Shi'ite Muslim cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani after a rare meeting in Najaf, on Saturday, on the second day of his historic four-day trip to Iraq.
The pontiff can be seen speaking to officials before entering his car outside the residence of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Al-Husayni Al-Sistani, regarded as the spiritual leader of Iraq's Shi'a muslims.
The Pope's historic visit to Iraq comes as part of an initiative to preserve Iraq's ancient Christian communities and support the return of those Christians driven out by the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
Pope Francis left the residence of Iraq's top Shi'ite Muslim cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani after a rare meeting in Najaf, on Saturday, on the second day of his historic four-day trip to Iraq.
The pontiff can be seen speaking to officials before entering his car outside the residence of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Al-Husayni Al-Sistani, regarded as the spiritual leader of Iraq's Shi'a muslims.
The Pope's historic visit to Iraq comes as part of an initiative to preserve Iraq's ancient Christian communities and support the return of those Christians driven out by the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
Pope Francis left the residence of Iraq's top Shi'ite Muslim cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani after a rare meeting in Najaf, on Saturday, on the second day of his historic four-day trip to Iraq.
The pontiff can be seen speaking to officials before entering his car outside the residence of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Al-Husayni Al-Sistani, regarded as the spiritual leader of Iraq's Shi'a muslims.
The Pope's historic visit to Iraq comes as part of an initiative to preserve Iraq's ancient Christian communities and support the return of those Christians driven out by the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).