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Grand Ayatollah Sistani, Iraq’s ‘shepherd’, to meet Pope Francis
6 years agoA hoarding of Pope Francis and top Iraqi Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani is pictured in Iraq's holy city of Najaf ahead of the Pope's visit to Iraq, on March 4, 2021. - Pope Francis' historic visit from March 5 to 8 will include trips to Baghdad, the city of Mosul in the north and a meeting with the country's top Shiite cleric Sistani. (Photo by Ali NAJAFI / AFP)
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest religious authority for Iraq's Shiite Muslims, has wielded subtle but unprecedented power for a cleric, guiding his followers through decades of dictatorship, occupation and conflict.