Pope Francis praised the role of Iran in promoting dialogue between Muslims and Christians during the 10th round of interfaith dialogue and fraternal encounter at the Vatican. At the conference, organised by the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation from Tehran, the Pope said he greatly appreciated the presence of those who had travelled from Iran to attend the meeting.
The Lebanese newspaper Al-Manar reported that the Pontiff recalled with joy his meeting last January with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, as well as an encounter he had with the country’s Vice-President for Women and Family Affairs, Shahindokht Molaverdi, who visited the Vatican with a group of female professors in February 2015. That visit, he said, left him with a very positive impression of Iranian culture, Vatican Radio reported.
During the two-day meeting, which concluded yesterday, Muslim and Christian scholars have been sharing perspectives on “Extremism and violence in the name of religion: the reasons of the supporters and perpetrators”, “Rational approach to religion: the sign of hope for wounded humanity”, and “Humanity and its common home; the contribution of religion for having a better world”.
The 9th round of this dialogue between the Pontifical Council and the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation was held in December 2014 in Tehran on the theme “Constructive Dialogue between Muslims and Christians for the good of society.”
