Militant Iraqi Muslim leader visits Catholic church, laments massacre there

Iraq’s most influential Shi’ite Muslim leader, Muqtada al-Sadr, visited a Catholic Church in Baghdad on January 4, expressing sorrow over anti-Christian violence.

Al-Sadr told parishioners at Our Lady of Salvation church that he hoped to strengthen ties between Christians and Muslims. 

The Shi’ite leader condemned the massacres carried out by Sunni extremists at the church in 2010.

Al-Sadr also visited a Sunni mosque in Baghdad. 

The militant Islamic leader is crossing religious boundaries as he attempts to rally opposition to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.