Papal Notes - Francis gives us an "LOL" moment in Iraq

 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; Proverbs 14:13

"Pope Francis met with the Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani in southern Iraq early Saturday and thanked him for his vocal defense of human life. (LOL)

The meeting took place at the home of Sistani, one of the most senior

clerics in Shiite Islam, in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf, on the second day of the pope’s historic visit to the country.

During the meeting, the pontiff “stressed the importance of collaboration and friendship between religious communities,” Bruni stated, in a common endeavor to promote mutual respect and dialogue and so to “contribute to the good of Iraq, the region, and all humanity.”

Bruni said that the meeting provided the pope with an opportunity to thank the ayatollah for having “raised his voice in defense of the weakest and most persecuted, affirming the sacredness of human life and the importance of the unity of the Iraqi people” in the face of the ongoing conflicts and violence of recent years.

Al-Sistani, a highly venerated figure in Shiite-majority Iraq, wished happiness to Francis and the members of the Catholic Church, and thanked the pope for making the effort to visit him in Najaf.

When the Islamic State (Sunni's) captured Mosul in 2014 and took

control of much of Iraq, Sistani called on the Iraqi people to take up arms against the caliphate. Tens of thousands of Shia Muslims answered his call, which resulted in the birth of the Hashd al-Shaabi, Iraq’s Shia militias.

In taking his leave of the ayatollah Saturday, the pope reiterated his prayers to God, creator of all, “for a future of peace and fraternity for the beloved Iraqi land, for the Middle East and for the whole world,” the Vatican Press Office said." Breitbart