Sistani Expresses to Pope his Disappointment in Iraqi Politicians

Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, at his home in Najaf city, receives Pope Francis on March 6, 2021. (Sistani's Media OfficeAFP)
Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, at his home in Najaf city, receives Pope Francis on March 6, 2021. (Sistani's Media OfficeAFP)
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Sistani Expresses to Pope his Disappointment in Iraqi Politicians

Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, at his home in Najaf city, receives Pope Francis on March 6, 2021. (Sistani's Media OfficeAFP)
Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, at his home in Najaf city, receives Pope Francis on March 6, 2021. (Sistani's Media OfficeAFP)

Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani expressed to Pope Francis his disappointment in Iraqi politicians, revealed Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako, head of the Chaldean Catholic Church, after the Pontiff concluded his historic visit to the country.

In televised remarks, Sako, who was among the four official who attended their historic talks in Najaf city, said the meeting was supposed to only last 15 minutes, but ended up lasting 50.

Sako went into details about their meeting, saying Sistani, 90, personally received the pope, rising up from his seat to warmly shake his hands for a long time.

The politicians have disappointed him, said Sako of Sistani, who accused them of prioritizing personal interests above national ones, forcing him to refuse to meet with any of them.

The pope responded that politicians often seek personal interests above national ones.

Sistani has not met any of Iraq’s top officials, including the president, prime minister and parliament speaker, since 2015 in protest against their poor performance, rampant corruption throughout the state and failure to address society’s real problems.

He does however, receive international officials, who are visiting Iraq, including United Nations representatives.

Sistani had also voiced his support for popular anti-government protests that erupted in October 2019.

Asked whether any politician had requested to join the pope’s meeting with Sistani, Sako said no one did.

He revealed that Sistani discussed how major powers exploit wars for their interests.

At the end of their meeting, Sistani personally saw the pope to the door, holding hands while exchanging warm gratitude for the visit and reception.

On the return flight back to Rome on Monday, Pope Francis described his meeting with Sistani as "good for my soul", reported AFP.

"He is a person with this wisdom but also prudence. He told me that for the last 10 years, he has not received any visitors with political or cultural objectives, only those with religious motives.

"He was very respectful during our meeting and I felt honored. He never gets up to greet visitors, but he got up to greet me twice."



Heads of CIA, MI6 Issue Joint Call for Ceasefire in Gaza

Displaced woman Iqbal Al-Zeidi stands in front of her tent which was torn by an Israeli strike, on the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Displaced woman Iqbal Al-Zeidi stands in front of her tent which was torn by an Israeli strike, on the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
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Heads of CIA, MI6 Issue Joint Call for Ceasefire in Gaza

Displaced woman Iqbal Al-Zeidi stands in front of her tent which was torn by an Israeli strike, on the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Displaced woman Iqbal Al-Zeidi stands in front of her tent which was torn by an Israeli strike, on the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

The heads of the American and British foreign intelligence agencies said Saturday they are “working ceaselessly” for a ceasefire in Gaza, using a rare joint public statement to press for peace.

CIA Director William Burns and MI6 Chief Richard Moore said their agencies had “exploited our intelligence channels to push hard for restraint and de-escalation.”

In an opinion piece for the Financial Times, the two spymasters said a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war “could end the suffering and appalling loss of life of Palestinian civilians and bring home the hostages after 11 months of hellish confinement.”

Burns has been heavily involved in efforts to broker an end to the fighting, traveling to Egypt in August for high-level talks aimed at bringing about a hostage deal and at least a temporary halt to the conflict.

So far there has been no agreement, though United States officials insist a deal is close.

Burns and Moore also stressed the strength of the trans-Atlantic relationship in the face of “an unprecedented array of threats,” including an assertive Russia, an ever-more powerful China and the constant threat from international terrorism — all complicated by rapid technological change.

They highlighted Russia’s “reckless campaign of sabotage” across Europe and the “cynical use of technology to spread lies and disinformation designed to drive wedges between us.”

The article is the first joint opinion piece by the heads of the two spy agencies. The two directors pointed to a new era of openness in their secretive field, noting that the CIA and MI6 both declassified intelligence about Russia’s plan to invade Ukraine before Moscow attacked its neighbor in February 2022.