Dubai: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on Pope Francis to leverage his influence with Christian governments to halt the ongoing war in the Middle East, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.
“Encourage world leaders, especially Christian governments, to prevent the continuation of aggressions made by the criminal Israeli regime,” Pezeshkian stated in a message addressed to the Pope, according to Fars.
The message was delivered by an Iranian delegation attending a religious dialogue event held in the Vatican, as reported on the Iranian government’s official website.
Diplomatic Relations Between Tehran and the Vatican
Tehran and the Holy See have maintained formal diplomatic relations since 1954. In 2022, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sent a message to Pope Francis, commending his efforts to strengthen ties between Islam and Christianity.
Pope Francis’s Recent Remarks
Last week, Pope Francis urged the global community to examine whether Israel’s military actions in Gaza amount to genocide against the Palestinian people. This marked one of his strongest criticisms of Israel in its ongoing conflict with Hamas.
Israel has dismissed accusations of genocide as baseless, stating that its Gaza campaign targets Iranian-backed Hamas and other armed groups.
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President Pezeshkian expressed Iran’s readiness to work constructively with the Vatican to promote peace and justice worldwide.
While Pope Francis, the leader of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church, typically avoids taking sides in international disputes, he has recently intensified his criticism of Israel’s actions in its conflict with Hamas, advocating for de-escalation and humanitarian considerations.
