Iran: Pope’s visit shows Iraq secure thanks to resistance

Iran says the recent visit by Pope Francis to Iraq, where he met with senior Shia Cleric, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali al-Sistani, shows security has returned to the Arab country, thanks to "the bravery of the Iraqi people and the wisdom of its religious leadership".

“The message that is conveyed by this trip and similar trips is that Iraq is secure and that calm has returned" to the country,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sa'eed Khatibzadeh said Monday.

"The very essence of this journey is that Iraq, owing to the bravery of the Iraqi people and the wisdom of the religious authority and the pure blood which was shed against extremism and foreign conspiracies, has become a safe haven where such a good and constructive journey can be made."

Pope Francis concluded his four-day journey to Iraq on Monday. He was accompanied by President Barham Salih to his flight.

The pontiff met with Grand Ayatollah Sistani on Saturday, following which two statements were released by their offices, which caught the attention of many observers.  

Ayatollah Sistani, according to the statement, laid emphasis on the observance of equity and the role of belief in God in resolving the predicaments which aggrieve humanity. 

He touched on the role played by the religious authority in protecting Christians and all those who have suffered from the criminal acts of terrorists over the past years.

The cleric also expressed his outright rejection of sanctions, and underlined the need to address the plight of the Palestinian people, who have been suffering from decades of Israeli occupation and aggression.

The statement, issued by the pope's office, did not mention the Palestinians, however. 

The pope, it said, expressed gratitude to Ayatollah Sistani and Iraq’s Shia Muslims for supporting the Arab country’s Christian minority.

ME