Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope’s secretary of state, expressed to Iranian President Massoud Pezechkian “the Holy See’s deep concern” about the situation in the Middle East. He spoke with the political leader during a telephone call on the morning of August 12, 2024, according to the Vatican Press Office. Pope Francis’ right-hand man stressed the “need to avoid in any way aggravating the very serious conflict underway,” and called for dialogue and negotiation.
The news of recent days has been marked by the risk of military escalation in the Middle East. Israel’s elimination of Hamas’ political leader in Teheran and Hezbollah’s military leader near Beirut have exacerbated tensions in both Lebanon and Iran. On August 11, the Israeli secret service announced that it expected an imminent Iranian retaliation.
Vatican diplomacy
Pope Francis spoke of the situation during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Erdoğan on August 1. At the time, the Turkish president made it known that he considered “that Pope Francis’ negotiations with the countries that support Israel would be beneficial in putting an end to the attacks.”
The Holy See — through the voice of Pope Francis and his collaborators — has relentlessly denounced the disastrous consequences of this regional conflict for the populations concerned. It has also regularly warned the warring parties against the risk of military escalation in the region.
During the morning call, Cardinal Parolin and the Iranian President also discussed “issues of common interest.” The Italian cardinal also congratulated President Pezeshkian on his election on July 28. The politician took over from Mohammad Mokhber, who was appointed interim president following the death of Ebrahim Raissi in a helicopter crash on May 19.
Long-standing relations
The Holy See has maintained diplomatic relations with Iran since 1954 — for 30 years longer than with the United States. These relations were not interrupted by the Iranian Revolution, with President Mohammad Khatami paying John Paul II a cordial visit at the Vatican in 1999.
The two countries drew closer under the pontificate of Benedict XVI after he condemned the threat of an American pastor to burn the Koran. This stance was welcomed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who invited the German pontiff to collaborate further.
In 2016, Pope Francis welcomed President Hassan Rouhani to the Vatican for one of the first visits by an Iranian head of state to Europe in nearly 20 years.
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