sistani in a nutshell why is this meeting so important. i think generally speaking this has been the policy or the policy position of this vatican which restricts trends and strengthening relations across really just religious boundaries and it has made you know it has made islam one of its name one of its main targets in the sense i mean they are very interested in fostering part of their relations with the world they have done sort of a thorough going where we would. would sunni's and now there is an opportunity for this pope to meet actually one of the main few years of the show were. so. here is that you know the basis the date the ground is being is being said for essentially much more work to be done in the future keep in mind that the vatican has a very strong diplomatic machine which very often states on the ground way after the pope has left the country so the presumption that this is an opening of conversations we don't very important part of usefully of the muslim world as you well know this meeting has been more than a decade i

sistani. i think by and large you have us you said one of the most significant. years of shia islam and obviously somebody that weighs enormous power religious but also political in the region and among a population that actually just set trends. ascends the boundaries of iraq so shia communities in the region including iran to some degree and certainly syria are listening to whatever is sistani saying so peace and dorismond of the pope's amanda's and she for not only peaceful coexistence but full rights and sort of a peaceful environment in which the security of the christian community. he safeguarded is really you know a major major gesture that should have a tremendous impact so i mean you know it's very difficult to underbelly the resort of the media the result particularly because the study is not somebody given to you know public public expressions so that itself makes it very particular. a correspondence marching back there well brazil is seeing a major surge in covert 1000 cases a new

the grand ayatollah ali al sistani has been significant in the pivotal moments of iraq's history whether it was the 2005 elections the 2014 religious edict to get fighters to rally against our brother in 2930 told political leaders to make sure that the the the core of the people of iraq when they were protesting against corruption in the government which ended up in the then prime minister the resigning so it is very significant he is a very important leader and obviously the pope looking for some sort of support from the iraqi shia community to make sure that the christian population of iraq is not just protected but gets to flourish as well. some a pinch of aid that bring us the latest from thank you. well in the coming hour the pope will attend an interfaith missing in the ancient city of it's a place of historic importance to both christians and muslims and soon a 14 reports the visits raising hopes the development of development the long neglected sites. or the ancient capital of mesopotamia it was 1st settled 5000 years before christ and became the seat of samarian kings but this

ali sistani. a meeting that was months and then making every detail carefully planned after a photo op the 2 men spoke privately for 40 minutes the ayatollah reportedly telling the pope he also believes christians should be able to live in peace in iraq and enjoy the same rights as other iraqis it's a powerful statement from sistan he who rarely makes his opinions known when he does shiites in iraq and around the world take note. later the pope arrived in the ancient city of moore known as the birthplace of abraham the biblical patriarch revered by christians muslims and jews a fitting place for an interfaith meeting where francis underscored his message for . peace does not demand the winners or losers but rather brothers and sisters who for all the misunderstandings and hurts of the past are journeying from conflict to unity. in praying for peace in the middle east the pope singled out syria ravaged by a decade of civil war and he condemned religious extremists who use terrorism to achieve their

sistani. the christian and muslim leaders came together with a plea for peace in the holy city of najaf plus he said is going to be good to go deal with. the group of days he says that the child although he wasn't 100 continues in south africa for some crocodiles that have escaped from a grieving father. hello i'm claridge's and welcome to the show the united states senate has approved a $1.00 trillion dollar coronavirus relief plan after hours of debate and a marathon overnight a vote democrats in the chamber voted to adopt the plan without any republican support the bill includes a $1400.00 direct payments to taxpayers and an extension of jobless aid the house of representatives is expected to approve the legislation next week. after the senate vote president joe biden urged house lawmakers to move quickly to pass the bill says would provide desperately needed for by pass an american rescue plan will have heeded the voice of the american people not ignored their voices by passing this plan w

ali al sistani. senegal's opposition party and civil society groups are calling for 3 days of nationwide protests starting on monday they say the arrest and charges against opposition leader. are politically motivated are also denouncing violence by the security forces the reports from dhaka. in decors affluent neighborhood this is what is left of a french supermarket following another night of riots and lost for words i have tears in my eyes laments this cashier as she watches people including young children take away what they can a bag of past there for her and door and unemployed carpenter who in the looting saw an opportunity to find a meal for his family tonight but it's not just about shooting for. the youth are suffering we are jobless countless people have lost their jobs we need a little something to get by and feed our families. protesters set the supermarket on fire following days of nationwide demonstrations it all started after the detention of opposition leader last wednesday. he's acc

their faith own we understand that the meeting between the pope and the grand ayatollah ali al sistani is now over remind our viewers why is this meeting so important why was it so important. so stunning is some sense the head of the largest community the ship community of iraq on his firm occlusive each instance not that make that many political statements actual but the fact that he's chosen to meet even though that meeting is private and you know there's not not that a lot will all come what's come of it i think the fact that they've they've met it's very strange there's sort of strong connection between between the fight between the 2 eucharistic need to understand shia community chichi community of iraq so i think it's it's symbolic for so many so many different reasons but primarily because it shows it shows a strong dollar between the muslim community and christian community of this country. that's one hauled away in erbil really appreciate your time oh well some wealthy nations have already vaccinated millions of people against covert 19 many african countries are struggling to

ayatollah al sistani is very careful with whom he meets. i know this because i was scheduled to meet with him once. i think it was in 2003 or '04, right after the iraq war, and at the last minute i got a message saying he will not meet with an american. for some reason he thought that perhaps i had a non-american passport or something like that. he's very careful about the symbolism of who he meets with. is this a sign that that kind of ethnic chauvinism and religious nationalism that seemed to consume iraq for so many years is waning and that people are nostalgic for that multi-ethnic iraq that existed? >> i don't think they ever were opposed to it, by and large. keep in mind, for instance, when you wanted to meet the grand ayatollah back in 2004, 2004, that was after the american invasion. it was a much more sensitive time. but, yes, by and large the ayatollah is very careful about who he meets. for instance, recently the chief justice of iran wanted to meet with sistani and he turned him down. the fact that he was willing to meet in a pr

ali al sistani. a meeting that was months in the making every detail carefully planned after a photo op the 2 men spoke privately for 40 minutes the ayatollah reportedly telling the pope he also believes christians should be able to live in peace in iraq and enjoy the same rights as other iraqis it's a powerful statement from sistan he who rarely makes his opinions known when he does shiites in iraq and around the world take note. later the pope arrived in the ancient city of moore known as the birthplace of abraham the biblical patriarch revered by christians muslims and jews a fitting place for an interfaith meeting where francis underscored his message for . peace does not demand winners or losers but rather brothers and sisters who for all the misunderstandings and hurts of the past are journeying from conflict to unity. in praying for peace in the middle east the pope singled out syria ravaged by a decade of civil war and he condemned religious extremists who use terrorism to achieve their aims.

and on his way to meet ayatollah sistani, pope francis was walking with a visible limp. the pope has said in the past that he has long suffered from painful sciatica and that was also not unnoticed here. people saw that he still went ahead with this trip, still went ahead with the visit today, even though he does seem to be in a degree of discomfort. >> yeah, i'm glad you explained that because i noticed that limp so it's good to know what that's all about. this man is a very determined man. thank you so much, richard engel. appreciate that. >>> so, everyone, what is in the bill? how big will the checks be? who's going to get one? answers to these questions and more now that the senate has passed the covid relief bill. that's next. ed the covid reliefl that's next. wanna build a gaming business that breaks the internet? that means working night and day... ...and delegating to an experienced live bookkeeper for peace of mind. your books are all set. so you can finally give john some attention. trusted experts. guaranteed accurate books. intuit quickbooks live. ♪ and a l

sistani has been and we know that ayatollah ali insists on he does not like to meet a lot of people he does not meet foreign dignitaries does not make public appearances so it was choreographed event where the pope bent and he walked the last leg of his journey. greeted him standing up both of met both men in their late age frail so making sure that the message boards across to the followers of both of the many believe that they want them to live in. underlining what was said what was done by. the religious authority in iraq when the christians came into persecution from ice and him highlighting that there is more that needs to be done to make sure that all iraqis have dignity and peace in their in their lives but out here i mean this is just saying that this is a symbolism attached to it but the reality on the ground is quite different what we've been seeing over the last number of years the dwindling population of christians in iraq the divisions between not just the sects of religions but between most and sudanese and shias as well so there is a lot of bridge the divide not of di

ali al sistani why is the meeting significant. the meeting is an attend to essentially mend fences we did what he said very important community within iraq which is the shia community the vatican has fostered strong relations or last few years in various troops and in in meetings high level meetings we had with. sunis and this is basically an attempt also made about to going to. forge forge a stronger relation into religious relation area of the world which is a flashpoint in which christian communities under a are under enormous pressure. and i'm curious. particularly non christians reacting to the pope's visit. i think he's quite clearly i mean you can see it in the reports as well it's really you know we've decided that it's putting iraq giving iraq basically a very high profile for a couple of days in the news cycle and obviously to that extent it is welcome at the very same time i mean east. probably one of the strongest indications of some amount of review very sage and indeed iraqi in direct international presence i mean to

ali al sistani the highest religious authority for iraq's shia muslims medical team has more from the capital baghdad. a historic trip to a historic land pope francis' long held wish to set foot in the homeland of this ancient christian community became reality his visit aims to boost morale among iraq's christian minority which has dwindled in recent years as a result of war and persecution and he wants to encourage religious coexistence between muslims christians and other religious minorities. and the politicians need to promote the spirit of fraternal solidarity there is corruption abuse of power that's not the way at the same time you need to think of justice transparency to strengthen certain values that's how credibility can grow so everyone especially the young people can have hope for the future. this is the 1st time the head of the roman catholic church has visited iraq a country long mired in political economic and security crises most recently the war against eisel and attacks by iranian backed armed groups the iraqi president hopes the pope's visit could mark the beginnin

ali al sistani in the city of najaf on the 2nd day of his historic visit to iraq. and security forces have used tear gas and violence to break up another day of anti coup protests in ian maher despite the crackdown in large crowds of timed out in defiance across several cities more than 50 people have now been killed since the military seized power last month. now people in ivory coast have been voting for their next parliament the election comes 3 months after our somewhat tara won a presidential poll that was boycotted by the opposition this is the 1st election in 10 years where the ivorian popular front headed by the former president long has taken part dozens of his supporters were killed after he protested against what tara's reelection in october i'm interest is in abidjan the largest city in ivory coast and says that in some polling stent sent his votes have already been counted . election officials here are saying that voting has won has gone very well across much of the country and basically except for a few places where clashes were reported in the west o

ali al sistani and discuss the plight of iraq's christians as i live in a reports now from the city of najaf where they met. under strict security pope francis enters not just one of the holiest cities for muslims another historic 1st for the leader of the catholic church as he met iraq's grand ayatollah ali al sistani is a reclusive leader who is rarely seen in public he's iraq's most revered cleric and his proclamations have influenced many since the 2003 u.s. invasion the plight of those being persecuted in the region including palestinians and syrians that discussed. short the point of equal rights for christians in iraq and peaceful coexistence the meeting between the pope and grand ayatollah ali sistani is symbolic and significant although the majority or the religious authority says it please no role in politics has played a pivotal part in iraq recently whether it was urging people to take part in politics in elections whether it was to tell them to pick up arms against isis and more recently in the favor of the protesters. clerics in najaf say the pope's visit has highlight

sistani.

this morning prin the pope and ayatollah sistani's historic never before has a pope met the grand ayatollah in iraq and i thought our system is such a crucial figure for post invasion iraq but i think really at the heart of that encounter and at the heart of the pope's visit is this. point that he wants to make that religion can never be used for violence that religion is there to serve peace and in iraq which is such a diverse country of different religions this is a very very important and powerful message that is going out to the world because which other head of state has been able to travel iraq in this way so i think we really see although despite this visit being very risky a very very strong impact which is going to have reverberations for some time to come at me coming back to you would you say this is primarily a religious trip or is it primarily a political trip because if we look at those pictures again of the pontiff meeting the grand ayatollah. alsa stanny clearly in the meeting room nobody wanted to put a foot of supply base it was that big a deal well actually you dad really

ali al sistani to the pontiff historic visit to iraq. and vote counting is underway in ivory coast parliamentary elections some small clashes were reported but it was far calmer in the lead up to october's election in which dozens of people were killed. outright or coronavirus instructions due to a surge in cases is causing chaos in parts of latin america and paraguayan the president has asked the anti cabinet to resign following clashes between police and protesters while argentina's government's been condemned by rights groups and the police violence and in brazil tighter restrictions have been imposed on the country's 2 most populous states. the report for. clashes broke out on friday in a border city in northern argentina following the imposition of new coronavirus lockdown restrictions police officers used tear gas and rubber bullets against a crowd injuring dozens for the most is one of argentina sports probably it had already been hit hard by an economic recession before derives all of the virus a year ago many protesters were inf

ali al sistani a reclusive leader who does not usually meet foreign leaders from what we've gathered we went through the back alleys of niger heavily fortified for the pope's visit and it has been choreographed how the pope's car is going to come how the last 30 meters he'll have to walk because there are 2 small. house the humble abode of. he will greet him and the pope will take his shoes off to go inside just to give you an idea of how important a grand ayatollah ali al sistani is in 2004 it was him who issued the fight for that the iraqis should take part in the political process and elections in 2014 it was his fight for which provided the religious backing for the militias who could take part and play a crucial role in defeating eisen and in 29000 it was his fatah which led to the eventual dismissal of the then government so it is a very significant meeting it is a very important meeting the pope brings with him a message of interfaith dialogue to try and get support from the most important religious community in iraq for his dribbling christian population and hoping that this

ali sistani. a meeting that was months in the making every detail carefully planned after a photo op the 2 men spoke privately for 40 minutes the ayatollah reportedly telling the pope he also believes christians should be able to live in peace in iraq and enjoy the same rights as other iraqis it's a powerful statement from sistan he who rarely makes his opinions known when he does shiites in iraq and around the world take note. later the pope arrived in the ancient city of moore known as the birthplace of abraham the biblical patriarch revered by christians muslims and jews a fitting place for an interfaith meeting where francis underscored his message for . peace does not demand the winners or losers but rather brothers and sisters who for all the misunderstandings and hurts of the past are journeying from conflict to unity. in praying for peace in the middle east the pope singled out syria ravaged by a decade of civil war and he condemned religious extremists who use terrorism to achieve their a

this morning prin the pope and ayatollah sistani's historic never before has a pope met the grand ayatollah in iraq and i thought our system is such a crucial figure for post invasion iraq but i think really at the heart of that encounter and at the heart of the pope's visit is this. point that he wants to make that religion can never be used for violence that religion is there to serve peace and in iraq which is such a diverse country of different religions this is a very very important and powerful message that is going out to the world because which other head of state has been able to travel iraq in this way so i think we really see although despite this visit being very risky very very strong impact which is going to have reverberations for some time to come at me coming back to you would you say this is primarily a religious trip or is it primarily a political trip because if we look at those pictures again of the pontiff meeting the grand ayatollah. alsa stanny clearly in the meeting room nobody wanted to put a foot of supply base it was that big a deal well actually you dad really b

sistani will be a turning point in the christian muslim dialogue interesting fascinating indeed thank you. all 3 for being in today an army i would like to begin with you mentioned your baghdad born you grew up in baghdad the pope is visiting iraq what does it mean for the iraqi people well peter i think iraq is wait wait to debt visit a lot since long long time i think if you go back to the 2000 think the last poll. pulls the 2nd try to also to vote to iraq to visit also or south of iraq but because of the political situation under the saddam era it was not possible and why have they waiting so long for a christian leader to come to their country. the weight of his spiritual weight that he's present in the war and also the the lessons that he giving not just for the ordinary people but also all for the politician leaders world wide i think this is very important for them for one side for either side they say iraq is one of the most important lands for the energies and also for islam and. that's why this is the time the beginning ground 0 to come again to the understanding between peo

sistani was held in the city of najaf the heads of the roman catholic church as the 1st pope to travel to iraq wife now to a summer binge of 80 joins us from. a summer just talk us through the significance of this me. well this was history in the making the 1st time the leader of the roman catholic church has met the highest religious authority. in iraq this is a meeting which was anticipated for decades and now finally it is up and the pope made the defining. trip to words his house on 4 of those leaders in prayer how could they. be shy and give the message that they will do all that they can for the for their followers and try and promote the message of peace and harmony and this is something that we heard from the joint statement as well that visit him b.c. harmony the rights of people to live in dignity and freedom is what was emphasized in that meeting old sites that said that there is no political agenda to this meeting and the pope was trying to look for support from society for the christians in iraq who have been bringing in their numbers in the last decade or so and that is s

sistani's being held in the city of not jeff head of the roman catholic church the 1st pope travel to iraq is president joe biden's back to compromise reached by senate democrats and republicans over a key part of his coronavirus relief bill the agreement on extending federal job benefits overcomes one of several obstacles the 1.9 trillion dollars package has faced and thousands of elderly brazilians in rio de janeiro have been turned away after lining up for hours for their 1st dose of corona virus vaccine only a fraction of the doses needed to cover the designated age group were actually available you are up to date with the headlines on al-jazeera one of one east is next. to 0. case were. compensated civilians will we listen to the only music you hear is. the most beautiful music in the world is silent retreat with global news makers the stories the little just 0. madam speaker the president of the people's republic of china. when china's president xi jinping visited in november 24th chain australia's relations with its biggest trading partner appeared strong the future brought. in

ali al sistani. a meeting that was months in the making every detail carefully planned after a photo op the 2 men spoke privately for 40 minutes the ayatollah reportedly telling the pope he also believes christians should be able to live in peace in iraq and enjoy the same rights as other iraqis it's a powerful statement from sistan he who rarely makes his opinions known when he does shiites in iraq and around the world take note. later the pope arrived in the ancient city of moore known as the birthplace of abraham the biblical patriarch revered by christians muslims and jews a fitting place for an interfaith meeting where francis underscored his message for . peace does not demand winners or losers but rather brothers and sisters who for all the misunderstandings and hurts of the past are journeying from conflict to unity. in praying for peace in the middle east the pope singled out syria ravaged by a decade of civil war and he condemned religious extremists who used terrorism to achieve their aims

sistani will be a turning point in the christian muslim dayak interesting fascinating indeed thank you. all 3 for being here today and i mean i would like to begin with you i mentioned your baghdad born you grew up in baghdad the pope is visiting iraq what does it mean for the iraqi people well i think iraq is wait to debt visit a little since long long time i think if you go back to 2000 i think the last pope . pulls the 2nd try to also to iraq to visit also or south of iraq but because of the political situation under the saddam era it was not possible and why have they waiting so long for a christian leader to come to their country. the weight of his spiritual weight that he's present in the war and also the the lessons that he giving not just for the ordinary people but also all for the politician leaders worldwide i think this is very important for them for one side from the other side they say iraq is one of the most important elantra for the energies and also for islam and. that's why this is the time the beginning ground 0 to come again to the understanding between people from

who says the pope's meeting with the grand ayatollah sistani will be a turning point in the christian muslim dialogue interesting fascinating indeed thank you all 3 for being here today and i mean i would like to begin with you i mentioned you're baghdad born you grew up in baghdad the pope is visiting iraq what does it mean for the iraqi people well i think iraq is wait wait to debt visit a lot since long long time i think if you go back to the 2000 i think the last pope . pulls the 2nd try to also to travel to iraq to visit also or south of iraq but because of the political situation under the saddam era it was not possible and why have they been waiting so long for a christian leader to come to their country. the weight of his spiritual weight that he's present in the war and also the the lessons that he giving not just for the ordinary people but also all for the politician leaders world wide i think this is very important for them for one side from the other side they say iraq is one of the most important the lands for the energies and also for islam and. that's why this is the t

sistani will be a turning point in the christian muslim dialogue interesting fascinating indeed thank you all. 3 for being in today an army i would like to begin with you mentioned your baghdad born you grew up in baghdad the pope is visiting iraq what does it mean for the iraqi people well peter i think iraq is wait wait to debt visit a lot since long long time i think if you go back to the 2000 i think the last top . pulls the 2nd try to also to double to iraq to visit also or south of iraq but because of the political situation under the saddam era it was not possible and why have they waiting so long for a christian leader to come to their country. the weight of his patrol weights that he's present in the war and also the the lessons that he giving not just for the ordinary people but also all for the politician leaders world wide i think this is very important for them for one side from the other side they say iraq is one of the most important the lands for the energies and also for islam and. that's why this is the the time the beginning ground 0 to come again to the understandi

series the pope's meeting with the ground ayatollah sistani will be a turning point in the christian muslim dialogue interesting fascinating indeed thank you all 3 for being in today and i mean i would like to begin with you i mentioned your baghdad born you grew up in baghdad the pope is visiting iraq what does it mean for the iraqi people well i think iraq is wait wait to debt visit a little since long long time i think if you go back to the 2000 think the last poll. pulls the 2nd try to also to travel to iraq to visit also or south of iraq but because of the political situation under the saddam era it was not possible and why have they been waiting so long for a christian leader to come to their country. the weight of his total weight that he's present in the war and also the the lessons that he giving not just for the ordinary people but also all for the politician leaders worldwide i think this is very important for them for one side for another side they say iraq is one of the most important lands for the energies and also for islam and. that's why this is the time the beginnin

ali al—sistani. the ayatollah echoed the pope's sentiments, saying that it was time for wisdom and sense to erase the language of war. ina in a moment we will return to the scene inside the chaldean cathedral in baghdad. 0ur rome correspondent mark lowen is travelling with the pope and has sent us this report. if the first day of pope francis�* visit to iraq was about the politics and about meeting the country's dwindling christian community, today was about the outreach towards other faiths, most notably a meeting this morning with the country's top shia cleric, grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, bringing together the leader of the world's catholics with perhaps the most powerful and influential figure in shia islam. it's thought that they discussed interfaith dialogue and the violence that iraqi christians have long suffered. then the pope came on here to ur, the ancient birthplace of the prophet abraham, in which he met again with members of other religions... ..and he spoke of how hostility and

that meeting with shia muslin cleric, grand ayatollah ali al—sistani was an unprecedented moment. our rome correspondent mark lowen is travelling with the pope and has this update. after the first day of this trip was focused on the politics, and on meeting iraq's dwindling and persecuted christian minority, today was about outreach and dialogue with other faiths, chief among them the meeting this morning with the country's top shia cleric, grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, an extremely symbolic moment, the leader of the catholic church face to face with the leader of iraqi shia islam and one of the most influential figures in this country. this was a meeting years, decades in the making. previous popes had wanted to meet the 90—year—old cleric. they failed to do so, failed to come to iraq, but francis has come here on the first ever papal trip to iraq and had that meeting in najaf. little was released about details but it's thought that they discussed dialogue between faiths, and the pope thanked the shia for standing up for some persecuted christians. then the pope went to u

sistani why was there meeting so important. well the main reason is that both are essentially the most important figures within the religious denominations and groups so to some degree the pope comes into iraq not only representing the catholic community but becomes to some degree an i'm busses or a spokesperson i book a thing for the cause of christians not only in iraq but in the region and sistani being essentially the leader the time to leave there to some to some degree again. muslim shias becomes also one of the most important are not tudor's in the bleed off the boat for christians in the region mainly because of a lot of the violence that. christian groups in iraq and in syria have seen has been basically coming from from she shiite groups although of course sunni sunni terrorists themselves are an issue so this is a very long very long planned meeting there were there were many attempts or so it's reported in general sistani had not agreed to meet with with essentially members of the vatican or people i mean but he agr

sistani. is meant to expand on his message of interfaith dialogue and bring hope to iraq's christian community but it also comes during a pandemic to a country which has not started vaccinating its people and is important. to try and stop the spread of covert 19. the vatican the master to iraq who would have escorted the pope to all his appointments has already tested positive pope francis and his entourage have been vaccinated and organizers say they will strictly enforce crowd limits at public events but with a sharp rise in iraq school with 1000 cases in a week health care system critics have questioned the effectiveness of social distancing as it's expected crowds will gather to see the pope can add. some people close to the pope believe that the visit should be postponed treat the pandemic and security situation but the pope insisted on his visit iraq needs his visit and he feels the pain of the people who are suffering. iraqi authorities say all necessary steps to ensure the safety and s

he's the first pope to hold talks with grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, a highly influential figure in the middle east. pope francis has now arrived in the ancient city of ur where the prophet abraham, central to islam, christianity and judaism, is believed to have been born. that meeting with shia muslin cleric, grand ayatollah ali al—sistani was an unprecedented moment. 0ur rome correspondent mark lowen is travelling with the pope and has this update. after the first day of this trip was focused on the politics, and on meeting iraq's dwindling and persecuted christian minority, today was about outreach and dialogue with other faiths, chief among them the meeting this morning with grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, an extremely symbolic moment, the leader of the catholic church face to face with the leader of iraqi shia islam and one of the most influential figures in this country. this was a meeting years, decades in the making. previous popes had wanted to meet the 90—year—old cleric. they failed to do so, failed to come to iraq, pope francis has come here on the first ever pap

ali sistani has been held in the city of now jeff the head of the roman catholic church is the 1st pope to travel to iraq and has pledged to deepen his dialogue with other religions continuing coverage of that events on al-jazeera later on today next though the latest edition of witness. org. board the. press in the haleigh saw that it matured him. beneath my dentist but you will miss elliot ness a good. that is good to get a a t.v. studio. on a stumble. in hate a so nancy cheek left oh well now i see without a fight and with men naome and mouth i just feel. and i showed you the superleague kind of mind the hacky come a sudden. the sit on the sue me but it could open when the shelter met in the system but i get elected next week. when there be no. i'm gonna miss what you have not gotten me through a lot of. it will be so well. here you finally. get it i. can imagine what the fuck do you mean. the things on the show that. you know about on the show so back in the depths. let me tell. you. carol how young. fellow. look the bun i showed the. little i did by what i saw what others might fee

that is correct and perhaps the most significant personality he will be meeting is grand ayatollah sistani who is basically the religious. muslims here in iraq he will be meeting him tomorrow. and the idea of that meeting is really to to foster taller and coexistence between the religions that is certain expected to be a very significant meeting it is not exactly certain what will come out of it whether there will be any kind of official agreement that will be signed between the 2 sides or some kind of joint statement that will be made about that meeting very much on the line the theme of this visit which is you are all brothers which is of course of. verse from the bible and the pope really wants to underline the commonalities between the 3 abrahamic religions which are judaism christianity and islam he wants to really emphasize the similarities between the space rather than the differences hoping that that lead his visit can somehow reset relations that it can somehow be the beginning of a new start and that is of course why he's also going to order which is in southern iraq in the provi

sistani. is meant to expand on his message in defray the dialogue and bring hope to iraq's christian community but it also comes during a pandemic to a country which has not started vaccinating its people and is important. to try and stop the spread of covert 19. the vatican the master to iraq who would have escorted the pope to all his appointments has already tested positive pope francis and his entourage have been vaccinated and organizers say they will strictly enforce crowd limits at public events but with a sharp rise in iraq school with 1000 cases in a week health care system critics have questioned the effectiveness of social distancing as it's expected crowds will gather to see the pope can add. some people close to the pope believe that the visit should be perspiring treat the pandemic and security situation but the pope insisted on his visit iraq needs his visit and he feels the pain of the people who are suffering. iraqi authorities say all necessary steps to ensure the safety and

ali al sistani in the city of najaf on the 2nd day of his historic visit to iraq. and security forces have used tear gas and violence to break up another day of anti could protest in me and mark despite the crackdown a large crowds of continue to form across several cities will than 50 people have been killed since the military seized power last month. or in other news the u.s. has condemned new veto powers proposed by china or on hong kong selection of election candidates saying that it's a direct attack on the territories autonomy beijing revealed the legislation on friday the opening of its largest political meeting the national people's congress the changes would effectively dismantle hong kong's opposition by giving a beijing appointed committee control over who can run for office there is a dream brown has been speaking to opposition leaders in hong kong about these proposals. no kin hey represents what's left of a once thriving opposition party many of its members have been arrested with others now on trial accused of subversion loz doing caught in 6 months

sistani the christian and muslim leaders came together with a plea for peace in the holy city of najaf plus. the darkest days of the pandemic in the brazil an aggressive a virus variant sweeps from throughout the country while president also narrow down in place the threats. hello and play richardson welcome to the show the united states senate has approved a $1.00 trillion dollar coronavirus relief plan president biden says it will give families struggling to pay their bills the breathing room that they need the rescue package narrowly made it through the chamber as one democrat threatened to vote against it but that was prevented with some last minute tweaks to the bill and the decision ultimately went down party lines. 50 days or $49.00 as amended is asked. democrats were jubilant as the legislation finally passed after a lengthy debate and the longest vote in senate history not one republican backed the stimulus package. it's been a long. long night a long year but a new day has come and we tell the american people help is on the way the final bill includes $400000000000.00 worth o

today, the grand ayatollah ali al—sistani spoke about the christian citizens. it is very important, notjust christian important, not just christian people, important, notjust christian people, christian citizens. that is what we need. a state of citizens, which is not there yet. irate what we need. a state of citizens, which is not there yet.— what we need. a state of citizens, which is not there yet. we have to leave it there. _ which is not there yet. we have to leave it there. thank _ which is not there yet. we have to leave it there. thank you - which is not there yet. we have to leave it there. thank you so - which is not there yet. we have to leave it there. thank you so much | leave it there. thank you so much forjoining us. pressure is mounting on the uk government over its proposed pay offer of 1% for health workers in england — after it was claimed that a long—term plan had assumed an increase of double that. nhs providers — which represents trusts in england — accused ministers of "snatching planned pay rises from the pockets of deserving n

ali al sistani is a reclusive leader who is rarely seen in public he's iraq's most revered cleric and his proclamations have influenced many since the 2003 u.s. invasion the plight of those being persecuted in the region including palestinians and syrians that discussed. short the point of equal rights for christians in iraq and peaceful coexistence the meeting between the pope and grand ayatollah ali sistani is symbolic and significant although the majority of the religious authority says it plays no role in politics has played a pivotal part in iraq recently whether it was urging people to take part in politics in elections whether it was to tell them to pick up arms against isis and more recently in the favor of the protestors clerics in najaf say the pope's visit has highlighted iraq's central place for all religions and is a brave gesture from for france's in the face of security challenges and the pandemic. home. clerics through their words and behavior convert the message of peace and love and convince people to stay away from extremism this is what we did in iraq in the last 2

he's the first pope to hold talks with grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, a highly influential figure in the middle east. pope francis has now arrived in the ancient city of ur where the prophet abraham — central to islam, christianity and judaism — is believed to have been born. our correspondent mark lowen reports. if the first day of pope francis�* visit to iraq was about the politics and about meeting the country's dwindling christian community, today was about the outreach towards other faiths, most notably a meeting this morning with the country's top shia cleric, grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, bringing together the leader of the world's catholics with perhaps the most powerful and influential figure in shia islam. it's thought that they discussed interfaith dialogue and the violence that iraqi christians have long suffered. then the pope came on here to ur, the ancient birthplace of the prophet abraham, in which he met again with members of other religions and he spoke of how hostility and extremism and violence were, in his words, "the betrayal of religion". he spoke in

i mean as well as his trip to the country he's also going to be meeting with grand ayatollah sistani who is the highest wages of already in the country but also leader to the hundreds of millions of shia muslims around the world this is an incredibly rare meeting for. yes it's really an exciting historical moment to be witnessing this i'll say that when i 1st heard that the pope was going to visit iraq i had really hoped that this visit the sistan it would occur and i'm very happy to see it on the agenda you know the loss of stanny and the pope as many spiritual leader as around the world share some characteristics including being you know shepherds of a community through times of crises we can store a cli scene cope's and cardinals do this but we've also seen so stanley do this for iraq after 2003 and do it for all iraqis not just the shia community he played a pivotal role in trying to tamp and down and down to sectarian tensions the religious establishment a nudge of hasta store oakley stood up for minorities both ethnic and religious minorities and so it really tries to be there

also held a historic meeting with a grand ayatollah ali al sistani on this trip want to waste in. figures within shia islam how important is the establishment in najaf. not just for the shia within iraq itself but also for ethnic and religious groups. sixer a new port and turn the grand ayatollah sistani is not just the highest of thora q 4 this year on iraq he is the highest of thought before the shia are around the world some 250000000 people everywhere on the globe but also he is a respected and seen as a father figure for all iraqis because of is now a moderate position because of his defense of all iraqis as support for democratization and a civil state rather than a theocracy he is everything one hopes for any and a person with his influence in iraq and certainly this is while it is the 1st time the top 2 leaders and the catholic church and also and among the shia are meeting together this is a coronation of a long time effort between the vatican and not just what delegations visited each other for a long time that was a lot of interfaith dialogue and also projects working a

ali sistani the head of it she. played and so in so close those that is the case this is a very historic and this symbolic visit and you know from the perspective of the rockies members of the iraqi leadership this is a story about iraq that's not what we've often heard about iraq since 2003 at least if not before a story of conflict the story of sectarianism you know a bad story this is the story of meeting in the story of trying to live up to a future to a better future but of course challenges remain and what about the words of the pope and those of the grand ayatollah following that meeting how important are those for christians in iraq. well of course the words are important and they're words they're symbols and a meeting is important neither the plug nor the ground as well that's a stanley have at any point said anything differently so and neither have any of the heads of different religious groups faiths or political leaders and here are this idea of interfaith is something that has been there at the sort of

ali sistani is symbolic and significant although the merger of the religious authority says it plays no role in politics has played a pivotal part in iraq recently whether it was urging people to take part in politics in elections whether it was to tell them to pick up arms against isis and more recently in the favor of the protesters clerics in najaf say the pope's visit has highlighted iraq's central place for all religions and is a brave gesture from for france's in the face of security challenges and the pandemic. home. clerics through their words and behavior convert the message of peace and love and convince people to stay away from extremism this is what we did in iraq in the last 2 decades and not just doors have remained open the pope's visit to natura will boost the spirit with our partners the christians in iraq. as part of this pact 3 day visit the 4 went on a pilgrimage to or the city is the birthplace of prophet abraham the patriarch of all abrahamic religions. in a meeting with leaders representing sudanese sheers christians disease and sabin's francis called himself a

ali al sistani. a meeting that business months in the making every detail carefully. planned after a photo op the 2 men spoke privately for 40 minutes the ayatollah reportedly telling the pope he also believes christians should be able to live in peace in iraq and enjoy the same rights as other iraqis it's a powerful statement from says dani who rarely makes his opinions known when he does shiites in iraq and around the world take note. later the pope arrived in the ancient city of moore known as the birthplace of abraham the biblical patriarch revered by christians muslims and jews a fitting place for an interfaith meeting where francis underscored his message for . peace does not demand all winners or losers but rather brothers and sisters who for all the misunderstandings and hurts of the past are journeying from conflict to unity. in praying for peace in the middle east the pope singled out syria ravaged by a decade of civil war and he condemned religious extremists who used terrorism to achieve

he is due there shortly and he will hold talks with ground ayatollahs ali al—sistani on the spiritual leader of millions of shia muslims. the talks have taken years to arrange and they mark a high point of the pope's is it to iraq. but will be carried out very shortly. please stay with us your bbc news. hello. last weekend was a mainly dry weekend across the uk with high pressure in control, and this weekend will be the same. but there is a significant difference between weekends — that word there, cold. a very different feel to things. spring in the air last weekend — 15 celsius in the sunshine. this weekend, with only a few sunny spells around, well, it's closer to 7 degrees. and it feels like winter's still got a bit of life left in it. but it is high pressure across us, so it is going to be mainly dry. just this one weak weather front will deliver a bit of rain into parts of scotland, especially the further north you are. there is milder air out in the atlantic. it will come our way in the week ahead — but that's not the only change coming, as i'll show you in a moment. this