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Iraq hosts Iraqi and American spiritual meeting

The Iraqi interfaith dialogue Council hosted over a week the highest spiritual meeting between American and Iraqi clerics, in Al-Najaf,Karbalaa and Baghdad. The meeting included number of activities that included meeting between the delegation guests and women’s department of minorities in Masarat foundation for cultural and media development in Al-Najaf, followed by group of activities that included a lecture in Al-Kuffa University and in Writers Union and a visit to the city of Karbalaa organized by Dar Al-Elem of Imam Al-Khoie (one of the founders of The Iraqi interfaith dialogue Council).The visit has also included an arrangement of fine meeting between members of the American religious delegation and the heads of Christian religious communities organized by Masarat Foundation (one of the founders of The Iraqi interfaith dialogue Council).This is the most prominent spiritual meeting in strengthening the efforts for dialogue among religions, and this is on the uppermost religious level inside Iraq since 2003,The head of the American Spiritual delegation was “Theodor McCarrick” the Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and bishop ” John Bryson Chane” and the Ambassador “William Green Miller” Senior Advisor of the Foundation “search for commonalities between religions”. And on the reasons for convening the spiritual meeting, SirJawad Al-Khoie(member of Iraqi council  for Interfaith Dialogue) said:” we’ve been working for years to make the religious institutions more open for Iraq and its people, having a typical image of Iraq in country failure and ethnic conflict, therefor this demand was within the framework to start a dialogue on a high religious level able to bring point of views close and finding solutions on spiritual levels equivalent to the diplomatic efforts to rapprochement between Muslims and Christians”. And Al-Khoie added: “The members of the American religious delegation expressed their trust and witnessed the amount of openness and seriousness by the Muslim religious elites, as for the American Church delegation they have expressed their happiness for the invitation”, and the head of the delegation “Theodore McCarrick” said: “I’m pleased that I visited Iraq and this is my first visit, and my happiness lies within my first meeting with the religious Marajaa in Al-Najaf and getting to know this city”, and on visiting the capital city he said  “my visit to Baghdad is a gate to see the extent of the courage and strength of this people and that courage required us to work together to maintain the existence of diversity in this country in which the Christians represent the real assets of its population”. Pointing out the need to seek commonalities between religions and nationalities making up the countryin order to sustain life in peace and protect the rights of everyone. From his part Saad Salloum member of The Iraqi interfaith dialogue Council and general coordinator of  Masarat Foundation for Cultural and Media Development said: “present the other Iraq, the one which the Americans don’t see, the living Iraq that is buried in the center of killings, violence and destruction,that’s the Iraq we declare daily, we stand for and we live for.” Both sides confirmed that it wasn’t just a meeting but it surpassed it to reach decision making level and to change the political convictions, the delegation held joint prayers lifted for the unity of Iraq, and for the convenience of the suffering along the geography of the Middle East. The visit of this delegation is considered as an expression of the importance of cross-border communication, it should be noted that the Iraqi-American spiritual meeting was the result of a voluntary act of civil institutions, and it is the first step for the convergence of views between the peacemakers in Iraq and the United States.

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