‘Deeply respected by all’: Iraq’s top Shia cleric Al-Sistani mourns the passing of Pope Francis

NAJAF — Iraq’s top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, expressed deep sorrow Monday over the death of Pope Francis, calling him a religious leader “deeply respected by all” for his advocacy of peace, tolerance, and solidarity with the oppressed.

In a condolence message addressed to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican, Al-Sistani’s office said the late pope “held a high spiritual status among many peoples of the world” and praised his “distinguished role in serving the causes of peace and tolerance.”

The message also recalled the historic 2021 meeting between the two leaders in Najaf, describing it as a moment of “great significance” that reaffirmed a shared commitment to “faith in God Almighty… and noble moral values in overcoming the major challenges facing humanity.”

After his historic trip to Iraq, Francis said his meeting with Sistani — who is extremely reclusive and rarely grants audiences — had been “good for my soul”.

The meeting marked a landmark moment in modern religious history and for Francis’s efforts to deepen interfaith dialogue. Sistani told the pope that Iraq’s Christians should live in “peace”.

Despite the high risks to his personal safety, Francis visited the largely-ruined city of Mosul that was ravaged by the Islamic State group until the jihadists’ defeat in 2017.

By the time of Francis’s visit, Iraq’s Christian population had shrunk during years of violence in the country to fewer than 400,000, from around 1.5 million before the US-led invasion of 2003.

Francis prayed for the victims of war outside the ruined centuries-old Al-Tahera (Immaculate Conception) Church, where he pleaded for Christians in Iraq and the Middle East to stay in their homelands.

On Monday, Benedictus Younan Hanno, the Archbishop of the Syriac Catholic Church of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, called on churches to ring their bells for the deceased pope.

The statement extended condolences to Catholics around the world and prayed for “goodness, blessings, and peace” for all humanity.

Earlier Monday, senior Kurdish and Iraqi officials also issued statements mourning the pope and honoring his legacy, including his landmark visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in 2021.

Additional reporting by AFP

Statement from Office of Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani:

In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

Your Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin,
Secretary of State of the Vatican,
Greetings and respect,

We have received with deep sorrow the news of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, the Pope of the Vatican, who held a high spiritual status among many peoples of the world and was deeply respected by all, due to his distinguished role in serving the causes of peace and tolerance and showing solidarity with the oppressed and persecuted across the globe.

The historic meeting that brought him together with the Supreme Religious Authority in Najaf was of great significance, as both parties affirmed the fundamental role of faith in God Almighty and His messages, and the commitment to noble moral values in overcoming the major challenges facing humanity in this era. They emphasized the need for joint efforts to promote a culture of peaceful coexistence, reject violence and hatred, and uphold values of harmony among people based on the safeguarding of rights and mutual respect among followers of various religions and intellectual orientations.

As the Supreme Religious Authority extends its condolences and sympathy to the followers of the Catholic Church around the world on this grievous loss, it wishes them patience and solace and prays to Almighty God to bestow upon them and all of humanity the goodness, blessings, and peace that befit His vast mercy.