Pope Francis’ efforts for peace in the Holy Land continue. As confirmed by the Holy See, on the afternoon of Sunday, November 5, the Holy Father held a conversation with the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi.
This call is in addition to the different talks that the Pontiff has held with various leaders since the war between Israel and Gaza, controlled by Hamas terrorists, began on October 7.
The Vatican has limited itself to confirming that the call took place at the request of Ebrahim Raisi, who, according to a statement from the Iranian Presidency, thanked the Holy Father for his calls for peace.
Likewise, Raisi asked the Holy Father to exert his influence in the West to end the attacks in Gaza, which he called “the greatest genocide of the century.”
He also urged Pope Francis to explain “correctly the position of the oppressed and the oppressor” in the conflict.
In his last public appearance at the Angelus on November 5, Pope Francis renewed his call for a ceasefire. He asked: “that avenues will be pursued so that an escalation of the conflict might be absolutely avoided so that the wounded can be rescued and help might get to the population of Gaza where the humanitarian situation is extremely serious.”
He also called for the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, especially children.
Pope Francis, the Vatican, and the Search for “Paths of Peace”
On October 23, Pope Francis discussed the conflict with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to find “paths of peace.”
The Holy Father also received a phone call on October 26 from the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with whom he discussed the dramatic situation in the Holy Land.
Likewise, on October 27, the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, asked that an escalation in the war between Israel and Hamas be avoided and announced that a meeting is possible between Pope Francis and the families of the hostages that the terrorist group maintains in Gaza.
For his part, Bishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, also had a telephone conversation with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, on October 30.
In the meeting, proposed by the Iranian President, Bishop Gallagher expressed “the serious concern of the Holy See about what is happening in Israel and Palestine.”
On November 3, the Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis had a telephone conversation with Mahmud Abbas, President of Palestine.
[Translated by Jacob Stein]
