The director of the Theological Seminary in Iran, Ali Reza Arafi, conveyed an oral message from the Supreme Leader of the Iranian Revolution, Ali Khamenei, to Pope Francis during the visit of the Iranian religious delegation to the Vatican, which stated: “After Khamenei was informed of my visit, the world brought me to you, praising your past and your fellowship with Latin America, and applauding some of your positions in softening relations between Islam and Christianity and defending the oppressed.

He explained that Khamenei “waits to take action in defense of the Palestinian people, pointing out that the solution to the Palestinian question lies in the formation of a regime governing Palestine through a referendum and fair elections in which all indigenous people of all religions participate.” For his part, Pope Francis stressed: “I convey my greetings to the leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the great religious authorities in Iran, and we, in turn, support the issues that the leader of the Islamic Revolution speaks about.”