At the conclusion of his public audience on August 31, Pope Francis expressed his concern about new violence in Iraq, where more than 20 people died in clashes between government forces and supporters of the Shi’ite Muslim leader Muqtada al-Sadr.

The violence began after al-Sadr announced that he was withdrawing from the Iraqi political scene. Although he was leading victor in recent elections, he was unable to form a ruling coalition with rival Sunni Muslim factions. As a political leader, al-Sadr had called for Iraq to resist foreign influence—including both the influence of the US and that of Shi’ite-governed Iraq.