Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on Pope Francis to use his influence to help bring to an end the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, a semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.
The message was conveyed to the pope by Iran’s delegation participating in a religious dialogue event at the Vatican, Iran’s government website said.
“Encourage world leaders, especially Christian governments, to prevent the continuation of aggressions made by the criminal Israeli regime,” Pezeshkian was quoted by Fars as a message to the Pope.
Tehran and the Holy See have enjoyed formal diplomatic relations since 1954, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2022 shared a message to Pope Francis lauding his “stances on consolidating relations between Islam and Christianity”.
The calls followed last week’s message by the Pope suggesting an investigation into whether Israel’s military activities in Gaza constitute genocide against the Palestinian people, which Israel has denied.
Israel’s current conflict with the Iran-backed Hamas group escalated after an October 7 surprise attack, which left thousands dead, with hundreds still in captivity.
On the other hand, Israel is also engaging with the Islamic Shia militia, Hezbollah in Lebanon, with the conflict leading to numerous deaths, especially in Lebanon.