In Basra

So after a grueling 10hr journey, being stopped at about 30 checkpoints, I arrived in Basra. Typically for Iraq none of the contact phone numbers I had were working, also typically for Iraq within 30 minutes I had dozens of new friends! A couple of them are looking over my shoulder as I type this (and they owner of the cafe won't accept any payment of course!). One of the people we wanted to meet was the Catholic Archbishop, who we'd heard is an energetic peace & justice activist. It turned out that the Cathedral was around the corner and so we walked there... arriving just as a service of rememberance for the Pope began. Most of the hundres of people present were Muslim clerics - what an amazing sign of brotherhood and hope.