Iran’s Ambassador to the Vatican:

Rouhani, Pope meeting will open new chapter in mutual ties

Rasa – An Iranian cleric praised a likely meeting between Iran’s President Rouhani and Pope Francis calling that the burgeoning of mutual cooperation between Tehran and Rome.

News ID: 3846

Date: 26 January 2016 - 17:36

RNA – Hujjat al-Islam Mohammad-Taher Rabbani, Iran’s ambassador to Vatican City, detailed the relations between Tehran and Rome and stressed upon the necessity for expansion of different ties between two countries.

He said, “There are several commonalities between all holy religions particularly between Islam and Christianity” and referred to both religions’ commitments to morality, humanism, monotheism, prophecy, resurrection and apostasy as some of the shared ideas between the two major religions.

The cleric portrayed Iran and the Vatican as the hubs of Islam and Christianity in the world which can play important roles in resolving religious and sectarian challenges based on their shared religious and moral principles.

According to the cleric during the recent years, relations between the Vatican and Tehran have been formed based on dialogue and mutual understanding of the teachings of the prophets and several interfaith dialogues have been held between elites from both countries.

The Iranian cleric expressed concern over the assaults and sacrilegious moves against Islam either through centres promoting the culture of secularism or seemingly Islamic extremist groups like the Takfiri terrorist group, ISIL.

Hujjat al-Islam Rabbani said, “These media and cultural invasions have led to an increasing wave of Islamophobia in the Western world, particularly among the younger generation.”

He called this as the reason that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, to address the western youths in a letter.

The scholar demanded that seminary and university scholars contribute to the implementation of the demands of the Supreme Leader in his letter to the youth in the West and provide the grounds for introduction of true Islam for the West and also direct interfaith dialogue between the Muslim and Christian worlds.

R111/112/E