Iranian President Asks Pope Francis To Encourage World Leaders To Stop Israel's Aggression

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian/PHOTO via Instagram @drmasoudpezeshkian

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Pope Francis to use his influence on the Christian/Catholic government to stop the war in the Middle East.

"Encouraging world leaders, especially Christian governments, to prevent continued aggression carried out by the Israeli criminal regime," Pezeshkian said.

The message was conveyed by the Iranian delegation who participated in the religious dialogue held at the Vatican, the Iranian government website said.

Tehran and the Holy Throne have been in formal diplomatic relations since 1954, and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2022 conveyed a message to Pope Francis who praised his stance in consolidating relations between Islam and Christianity/Catholics.

Last week, Pope Francis suggested the global community should study whether Israel's military operations in Gaza constitute genocide against the Palestinian people, in some of its most explicit criticisms of Israel's behavior in a year-long war.

Israel says allegations of genocide in its operations in Gaza are baseless and only hunt down Iranian-backed Hamas and other armed groups.

Pezeshkian said Tehran is ready to engage constructively with the Vatican to promote peace and justice in the world.

Pope Francis, the leader of the 1.4 billion Catholic Church, is usually careful not to take sides in international conflicts, and emphasizes deescalation. But he has stepped up his criticism of Israel's behavior in the recent fight against Hamas.