The first meeting between Pope Francis and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was very cordial.
“I hope you feel at home.”
The two leaders had a closed door meeting for about 40 minutes.
The president gave Pope Francis a hand-woven rug, which came from the holy city of Qom.
In return, Pope Francis gave him a medallion and explained its significance.
“It is the figure of Saint Martin, when he was a soldier. He took off his cape to cover a poor person. There is a need for free brotherhood.”
“Thank you, really.”
Pope Francis also gave him a copy of his environmental encyclical “Laudato Si” and joked that it still hadn’t been translated to Farsi.
At the end of the visit, the Pope made a final request.
“Please, I ask you to pray for me.”
Interestingly, Rouhani requested the same thing from Pope Francis.
According to a statement from the Vatican, the two discussed the application of the recent nuclear agreement and Iran’s role in promoting peace in the Middle East, “fighting the spread of terrorism and arms trafficking.”
They also discussed interreligious dialogue and the “responsibility of religious communities in promoting reconciliation, tolerance, and peace.”
