5th Anniversary of Najaf Historic Interfaith Summit Highlighted by Cardinal Robert McElroy

5th Anniversary of Najaf Historic Interfaith Summit Highlighted by Cardinal Robert McElroy
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A ceremony was held on Saturday, May 9, in Burtonsville, Maryland (USA) to mark the fifth anniversary of the historic interfaith summit in Najaf, Iraq, where Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al‑Sistani and the late Pope Francis met in March 2021 — a landmark event in modern Muslim‑Catholic dialogue.

Organized by the Council of Shia Muslim Scholars of North America (Greater Washington D.C. Chapter), the event was presided over by Cardinal Robert McElroy, who traveled to the United States with a delegation that included Bishop Elias Lorenzo and Rev. Russell McDougall of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The commemoration featured interfaith dialogue and reflections on the Najaf summit’s ongoing significance for peace, coexistence, and mutual understanding between religions. Participants discussed shared global challenges, including international instability and issues related to preserving religious identity.

Cardinal McElroy praised the 2021 meeting in Najaf as a transformative moment for Muslim‑Catholic relations, emphasizing that the summit showed how faith can unite people in defense of human dignity and peace rather than deepen divisions. He also urged stronger joint efforts across religious communities to address injustice and protect human rights amid ongoing global conflicts.

Speakers at the gathering underlined the summit’s legacy of fostering dialogue and cooperation, with references to historic traditions of interfaith engagement going back centuries, and stressed the need to build on those foundations today.