The meeting between Pope Francis and the spiritual leader of the Shia of Iraq, Ali al-Sistani, speaks of the dialogue of religions and their rapprochement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh noted, TASS reports.

According to him, thanks to the courage of the people, the wisdom of the authorities, and the blood shed in the fight against extremism and foreign plots, today Iraq has reached such a level of security that such constructive visits have become possible.

Francis became the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to visit Iraq.