Ali al-Sistani

Pope Francis extended his hand to the world's Shiite Muslims on March 6, meeting top cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in a landmark moment in modern religious history.

The two elderly, respected men of religion met at Sistani's humble home in the shrine city of Najaf early on Saturday, the second day of the first-ever papal visit to Iraq.

Pope Francis landed in war-battered Iraq on March 5 on a first-ever papal visit, defying security fears and the pandemic to comfort one of the world's oldest and most persecuted Christian communities.

The 84-year-old, who said he was travelling to Iraq as a "pilgrim of peace", will also reach out to Shiite Muslims when he meets Iraq's top cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani.

Pope Francis starts a historic trip to war-battered Iraq on March 5, defying security fears and the pandemic to comfort one of the world's oldest and most persecuted Christian communities.

Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric said on Feb. 5 he would no longer deliver regular weekly sermons about political affairs, which for years have been a source of guidance for Iraqi politicians and his millions of followers.

The decision of Saudi Arabia to execute Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday along with 46 others accused of terrorism and participation in al-Qaida terrorist group escalates the tension in Middle East with Iran, Iraq and Lebanon warning of “divine revenge”.

The top Shiite cleric in Iraq on, al-Sistani, calls for the release of 18 Turkish workers kidnapped in Baghdad last week The top Shiite cleric in Iraq on Sept.

Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, warned on Aug. 20 that the country faces dire consequences including possible "partition" if real reform is not carried out.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on August 18 he was cancelling the positions of advisers hired as contractors in ministries and limiting the number of advisers for himself, the president, and the parliamentary speaker to five each. 

It was not immediately clear how many positions would be affected by the decision, which was announced in a post on Facebook. 

Iraq's parliament voted unanimously on August 11 to approve Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's reform package, Speaker Saleem al-Jabouri said during a session broadcast live on state television. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said July 27 that he had presented a report on this month's landmark deal on Iran's nuclear energy program to Iranian-born Shiite leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in southern Iraq.