Christian delegation visits Holy Shrine of Imam Hussein, sees unique architecture

Members of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, affiliated with the Vatican, expressed their happiness to have the honor of visiting the holy shrine of Imam Hussein, peace be upon him, in the holy city of Karbala.

Abbas Al-Muhanna, the official in charge of the reception unit at the holy shrine, stated that “the Christian delegation included Father Amir Jajji Al-Dominiki from the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, Father Jean-Jacques Perrinies, the director of the Institute of Biblical Studies in France, Mr. Jean Cassati, a representative of the French East Works Foundation, and his wife Mrs. Pascal Cassati.”

Al-Muhanna mentioned that “the Christian delegation was honored to visit the shrine of Imam Hussein, peace be upon him, and to explore the architectural, religious, and cultural landmarks of the holy shrine of Imam Hussein.”

He noted that “the Christian delegation expressed their happiness to have this opportunity to visit the holy shrine of Imam Hussein and Holy Karbala.”

It should be mentioned that the shrines of Imam Hussein and his brother Abu Al-Fadl Al-Abbas, peace be upon them, have seen an increase in official and semi-official visits by Christian religious figures and scholars.

Christian visits have significantly increased following Pope Francis’s visit to the holy city of Najaf during his tour of Iraq in 2021.