Letter of Ayatollah Arafi to General Secretary of World ‎Council of Churches

Ayatollah Arafi wrote, “True divine leaders have always been and will stand by their ‎commitment to God, to divine ‎prophets, and to humanity... the Islamic Seminaries and its ‎professors, scholars, and students are ‎ready to exchange scientific, cultural and relief ‎experiences, especially in the virtual field.‎”‎

News ID: 450018

Date: 22 April 2020 - 19:01

RNA - After the response of World Council of Churches to Ayatollah ‎Arafi’s letter to Pope Francis, ‎His Excellency sent a letter in response to offer future collaborations:‎

‎His Excellency Reverend Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit,‎
General Secretary of the World Council of Churches

Greetings and regards, praise be to God, peace be to the great prophets of God, Jesus ‎Christ and ‎Prophet Muhammad and his family;‎

The unfortunate incident of the Coronavirus spread has caused suffering for countries and ‎‎nations and has saddened scholars and the leaders of religions. The Islamic Seminaries and ‎religious leaders in ‎Qom and Iran, while expressing their sympathy to the victims of this ‎disease from all religions and ‎nations, wish all disasters away from the world, and wish divine ‎mercy for those who have lost their ‎lives and immediate healing for the patients.‎

We express our gratitude to His Holiness and all those who work to solve this problem and ‎to care ‎for the sick and needy, and emphasize the importance of regulating all affairs and ‎plans based on ‎the views and recommendations of experts, specialists and scientists in ‎which we have been well-‎coordinated with the responsible organizations.‎

According to the logic of divine religions, natural disasters are warning phenomena for human ‎testing, a ‎foundation for human evolution and transcendence, a cause of insight into the ‎origin and the ‎resurrection, an opportunity to measure and manifest the human and social ‎qualities, and a ‎flourishing spirit of empathy and self-sacrifice.‎

Correct, rational and wise explanation of such incidents and how to deal with them, avoiding ‎the ‎unrealistic bipolarity of science and religion, developing research to solve social ‎problems, ‎sustaining social and economic vitality, fostering social cohesion, strengthening ‎hope, will, peace, ‎kindness and creativity in society are great responsibilities for all the elites, ‎educators, and officials. ‎Religious leaders and scholars have an extra responsibility to ‎strengthen the foundations of the faith ‎and pay attention to the need for self-purification and ‎the protection of society from anomalies and ‎contaminations, as well as the attention to the ‎eternal power of God Almighty, Promote prayer and ‎supplication in the presence of God, ‎and it undoubtedly requires the empathy and cooperation of all ‎religious centers and ‎congregations, and also requires a return to the unique capital of the divine ‎teachings of ‎prophets with a comprehensive and rational approach.‎

Addressing this challenge and other contemporary crises such as injustice, unjust ‎discrimination, ‎inhumane sanctions, environmental crises, war, terrorism, production and ‎maintenance of WMDs, ‎require international consultation, cooperation, and comprehensive ‎policies. It also requires ‎a comprehensive confrontation with the irresponsibility of some ‎sovereign states, unilateral laws, ‎corruption, discrimination, sanctions, anti-justice, anti-‎morality and anti-spirituality movements, and ‎sincere adherence to common human, rational ‎and religious teachings, and strengthening ‎foundations of love, justice, peace, and human ‎solidarity.‎

True divine leaders have always been and will stand by their commitment to God, to divine ‎‎prophets and humanity. These days in the Islamic Republic of Iran we are witnessing the ‎‎indescribable manifestations of voluntary movements, empathy, extensive cooperation of ‎the ‎government/nation and people of all groups, religions, denominations, nurses, doctors, ‎medical ‎staff, students, academic elites, the clergy, theologians, religious leaders, scholars, ‎and rescue ‎youths, led by religious authorities and supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution. ‎We are proud of ‎this heavenly bond.‎

I take this opportunity to announce that the Islamic Seminaries and its professors, scholars, ‎and students are ‎ready to exchange scientific, cultural and relief experiences, especially in the ‎virtual field, and to ‎open a new chapter of collaboration with International scientific centers, ‎universities, religious ‎centers, leaders of divine religions, official organizations of countries, ‎and specifically the World ‎Council of Churches to form a community of divine religions to ‎serve humanity and to ‎create a new monotheistic civilization.‎
‎ ‎
Alireza Arafi
The Director of Islamic Seminaries
Qom, Islamic Republic of Iran
April 2020‎

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