Pope Francis is due to hold an inter-religious prayer service at the ancient Mesopotamian site of Ur when he visits Iraq next week – an event local archeologists hope will draw renewed attention to the place revered as the birthplace of Abraham.
Pope Francis is once again making a lot of moves. For many of us, he’s a significant player in these last days that we’re keeping our full attention on. For one, many of us believe he just may be the false prophet (the beast from the sea) spoken about in Revelation 13:11-17.
Of course we could be wrong as this is speculation on our part but his own actions and words don’t help him either. His continual efforts towards interfaith dialogue is also something raising a lot of eyebrows. Last month I noted how the UN decided to designate February 4th as “International Day of Human Fraternity”, thanks to the Pope’s efforts in this regard.
On February 4th, 2019, Pope Francis made a visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates where he met with one of the highest authorities in Islam, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the imam of Al-Azhar for interfaith dialogue dubbed as the “Human Fraternity” meeting.
The purpose of the gathering was to stress the importance and need for tolerance, love, and peace among different faiths. As part of the meeting, they both signed a Human Fraternity document which touched on topics such as violence in the name of religion, and an effort for Christians, Muslims, and others from the various religions to work together for peace and tolerance’s sake. You can read my article on that here.
It was his initiative here that caught the attention of the UN but it’s clear that he still has much more in store as he is set to pay a visit to Iraqi Ziggurat for an interfaith prayer meeting in the area that was known in Abraham’s time as Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 11:31).
The inter-religious prayer service will be attended by Christians, Muslims, Mandaean-Sabaean, Yazidi and other religious minorities present in Iraq. The focus will be on harmony between religious groups in a service the Vatican has named “Prayer for the sons and daughters of Abraham”.
Recall that God called Abraham out of this location in Genesis 12:1-9. What’s especially telling about this news is the fact that this is the area of Mesopotamia, where the construction of the tower of Babel was attempted and Babylon was.
I’m of the believe that the Babylon spoken to us about in Revelation 17 and 18 will be a literal rebuilt Babylon that sits on the Euphrates for numerous reasons which I plan to delve into in a separate article in the future. In light of that, it’s interesting to see the Pope organize an interfaith meeting in this region. Is this merely happenstance or could this be the start of a revival of the area and the rebuilding of the last day’s Babylon?
As the tribulation looms over the horizon, we should be expecting further moves being made towards broader religious tolerance leading into a global religious movement of sorts. Don’t be deceived, we are not all God’s children, nor are all religions the same. Salvation can only come through Christ and Christ alone (John 14:6).
Pope’s visit to Iraqi Ziggurat to bring together several faiths – and hopefully lure more visitors
From Reuters: Popular with Western visitors in the 1970s and 1980s, Ur is scarcely visited today after decades of war and political instability shattered Iraq’s international tourism industry. The coronavirus crisis now also keeps local tourists away.
Located about 300 km (200 miles) south of the capital Baghdad, the site comprises a pyramid-style Ziggurat and an adjacent residential complex as well as temples and palaces.
It was excavated about 100 years ago by Leonard Woolley, a Briton who recovered treasures rivalling those found in Tutankhamen’s tomb in Egypt. But little work has since been done
on one of the world’s oldest cities, where urban dwelling, writing and central state power began.
According to the State Board for Antiquities and Heritage director for Ur, Ali Kadhim Ghanim, the complex next to the Ziggurat dates back to about 1900 BC.
The father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Abraham is described in the biblical book of Genesis as living in the city before God called upon him to create a new nation in a land he later learned was Canaan.
“This is why it is believed that this building, or house, was the house of the prophet Abraham,” Ghanim said, pointing at the residential complex.
According to Ghanim, the housing settlement was restored in 1999, after Pope Francis’ predecessor, Pope John Paul II, announced a trip to Iraq. But his visit was cancelled when negotiations with the government of then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein broke down.
This time, Ghanim hopes that Pope Francis’ visit will attract international attention to the site, which he says is badly needed to fund restoration works on its palaces and temples. Read More
Sources
- Pope’s visit to Iraqi Ziggurat to bring together several faiths – and hopefully lure more visitors (February 22nd, 2021) – Reuters
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