{"id":3951,"date":"2016-03-10T20:46:57","date_gmt":"2016-03-11T01:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thediplomaticenvoy.com\/?p=3951"},"modified":"2016-03-17T20:40:19","modified_gmt":"2016-03-18T00:40:19","slug":"pope-francis-hosts-iranian-presidents-first-visit-to-the-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/thediplomaticenvoy\/2016\/03\/10\/pope-francis-hosts-iranian-presidents-first-visit-to-the-west\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Francis Hosts Iranian President\u2019s First Visit to the West"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Felipe Bueno<\/a><\/strong>
\nStaff Writer<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Following his diplomatic endeavor to help restore U.S.-Cuban relations, Pope Francis has his eyes set on alleviating the tension in the Middle East. \u00a0Following the end of Iran\u2019s international isolation, Pope Francis hosted President Hassan Rouhani in the Vatican. The historic event marked the first visit of an Iranian president to the Vatican since 1999, when the then-president Mohammad Khatami visited Pope John Paul II, building a relationship that continued until the Pope\u2019s death. <\/span><\/p>\n

The main purpose of Rouhani\u2019s visit was to spark investment interest in Iran\u2019s economy. The <\/span>Middle East Eye<\/span><\/i> reported that Rouhani wanted his country to be seen as an \u201cideal base for companies seeking a foothold in a region of 300 million people, reassuring would-be investors their contracts would be honored.\u201d When President Rouhani reached Italy, he was greeted with a tour of the Capitoline Museum, where every renaissance sculpture depicting nudity was covered to show \u201c<\/span>respect to the Iranian culture and sensitivity.<\/span><\/a>\u201d Additionally, following the standard Italian procedure for hosting a Muslim dignitary, a diplomatic dinner was hosted without wine or alcohol, normally a staple of Italian events. <\/span><\/p>\n

When President Rouhani met with Pope Francis, the two spent 40 minutes in the Vatican speaking in private, with the assistance of a female interpreter. At the end of their discussion, reporters were finally allowed to enter, as the Pope told Rouhani “I thank you for your visit and I hope for peace.” President Rouhani responded with one of the Pope\u2019s catchphrases, stating, “I ask you to pray for me” and “it was a pleasure to meet you and I wish you well in your work.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of their meeting, the two exchanged gifts. Rouhani gave the Pope a handmade carpet from the ancient city of Qom and the Pope presenting the Iranian President with a medal depicting St. Martin cutting his cloak to give to a beggar. Additionally, President Rouhani was given “Laudato Si,\u201d the Pope\u2019s extended essay on the environmental challenges facing the world, in both English and Arabic. <\/span><\/p>\n

While the specifics of the talks are unclear, the Vatican said that the two discussed \u201cthe importance of inter-religious dialogue and the responsibility of religious communities in promoting reconciliation, tolerance, and peace.\u201d CNN speculates the pair probably discussed the war and humanitarian crisis in Syria. <\/span><\/p>\n

This would be in the Pope\u2019s best interest, taking into account the number of Christians endangered by Islamic extremists in the area.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following his diplomatic endeavor to help restore U.S.-Cuban relations, Pope Francis has his eyes set on alleviating the tension in the Middle East.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3078,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[738,387],"tags":[396,504,556,748],"class_list":["post-3951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-february2016","category-europe","tag-iran","tag-pope-francis","tag-hassan-rouhani","tag-roman-catholic-church"],"yoast_head":"\nPope Francis Hosts Iranian President\u2019s First Visit to the West - The Diplomatic Envoy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/thediplomaticenvoy\/2016\/03\/10\/pope-francis-hosts-iranian-presidents-first-visit-to-the-west\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pope Francis Hosts Iranian President\u2019s First Visit to the West - 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