JACOB PEENIKAPARAMBIL  -   The message that reverberated in all the meetings of Pope Francis during his four-day historic whirlwind tour of Iraq was a plea to embrace diversity. According to the media reports, the content of all speeches delivered by the Pope was coexistence, forgiveness and peace, and he made a fervent appeal to all to embrace diversity as the most appropriate means to restore peace in Iraq. The message delivered by Pope Francis in Iraq is not only relevant to the people of Iraq but also to all people of the world, particularly to India, as India is one of the most diverse countries of the world with the followers of eight religions.

The main purpose of Pope’s visit was to facilitate reconciliation in the war-ravaged Iraq. The most significant event during Pope’s visit was the historic meeting with the Shiite spiritual leader. At Najaf in the south of Iraq, the Pope held a face-to-face meeting with powerful Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani who is the spiritual leader of millions of Shiite Muslims not only in Iraq but also in other parts of the world. This meeting delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence and the right of Iraqi Christians to be treated on an equal footing. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said religious authorities have a role in protecting Iraq’s Christians, and that Christians should live in peace and enjoy the same rights as other Iraqis.

Equally important was the inter-religious meeting organized in the plains of Ur which is thought to be the birthplace of Abraham, the biblical patriarch revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Prominent religious leaders of Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and Mandaeans took part in this unusual gathering. The joint appearance by the representatives from across Iraq’s sectarian spectrum was something extraordinary.

Pope Francis used this opportunity to deliver his message of coexistence and respect for other faiths directly to the religious leaders. “From this place, where faith was born, from the land of our father Abraham, let us affirm that God is merciful and that the greatest blasphemy is to profane his name by hating our brothers and sisters,” he said. “Hostility, extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart: they are betrayals of religion” he asserted.  

From day one of his visit till he left Iraq, Pope was reiterating the need for coexistence, cooperation and respect for all groups of people while condemning terrorism and violence in the name of religion. While addressing Iraqi President Barham Salih and other officials and diplomats at the Presidential Palace on the first day of his visit, Pope Francis said, “May there be an end to acts of violence and extremism, factions and intolerance! May room be made for all those citizens who seek to cooperate in building up this country through dialogue and through frank, sincere and constructive discussion!” “May no one be considered a second-class citizen,” he told the authorities. The Pope also appreciated the religious and cultural diversity of Iraq. “The religious, cultural and ethnic diversity that has been a hallmark of Iraqi society for millennia is a precious resource on which to draw, not an obstacle to be eliminated,” he said.