Prime Minister tweets the decision in recognition of Pope Francis’ meeting with Shiite leader and ceremony in Ur.Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, the Iraqi Prime Minister, has declared that March 6 will be a national day of tolerance and coexistence in Iraq, via his Twitter account.
This declaration comes just hours after the meeting between Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani and Pope Francis as well as the interfaith meeting in Ur , land of Abraham.
“To celebrate this historic meeting in Najaf between Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and Pope Francis, and the historic interreligious meeting in the ancient city of Ur, we declare March 6 as a national holiday of tolerance and coexistence in Iraq,” he wrote on the social network.
The Iraqi leader greeted Pope Francis at the Baghdad airport in an official welcome ceremony on March 5.
Shortly before, also on his Twitter account, he said he welcomed the pontiff “to the land of Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, the land of prophets and civilizations.”
He recalled that “Mesopotamia has always been and will remain a historic meeting place for common human values.”
