Holy See–Iran relations

Bilateral relations

Holy See-Iran relations

Iran |
Vatican City

Holy See–Iran relations refers to the diplomatic relations between the Holy See, which is sovereign over the Vatican City, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Relations, or similarities, have also been noted between Roman Catholicism and Shia Islam, which are the official religions of the Holy See and Iran, respectively.[1] A few Iranian presidents and diplomats have visited Vatican City, including Mohammad Khatami in 1999[2] and Hassan Rouhani in 2016.[3]

## History

[edit]

Early relations began during the reign of Shah Abbas the Great, when the Persian embassies visited the pope. The two countries have had formal diplomatic relations since 1954, since the pontificate of Pope Pius XII. Relations have been maintained during the Iranian Revolution.[4] Iran has a large diplomatic corps at the Vatican, with only the Dominican Republic having more diplomats accredited to the Holy See.[4]

In 1979 Pope John Paul II sent envoy to Iran to help to solve the Hostage Crisis. In 2008 relations between Iran and the Holy See were "warming", and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "said the Vatican was a positive force for justice and peace" when he met with the Papal nuncio to Iran, Archbishop Jean-Paul Gobel.[5]

According to an online news story article by Carol Glatz of Catholic News Service posted on the CNS website on Thursday, October 7, 2010, President Ahmadinejad "told Pope Benedict XVI that he would like to work more closely with the Vatican in an effort to stop religious intolerance and the breakup of families. The president also appealed to world religions to cooperate in the fight against secularism and materialism, Iranian news agencies reported. The appeals came in a letter that was handed to the pope by Iranian Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs Sayyed Mohammad-Reza Mir-Tajeddini, during a brief meeting Oct. 6 at the Vatican. Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi confirmed to Catholic News Service Oct. 7 that the letter was given to the pope and its contents already published by Iranian media outlets. According to reports, the letter praised the pope and the Vatican for criticizing a U.S. pastor's threats to burn copies of the Qur'an on September 11. On November 3, the Pope sent the Iranian President a letter in reply, in which he stated that the establishment of a bilateral Vatican-Iranian commission would be a desirable step towards solving the problems of the Catholic Church in Iran.[6]

## See also

[edit]

* Foreign relations of the Holy See
* Foreign relations of Iran

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Shias, Catholics and Protestants". The Economist. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
2. ^ "Former Iranian President Khatami Meets Pope". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
3. ^ "Pope Francis urges Iran's president to promote peace in Middle East". France 24. 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
4. ^ a b "Iran's Secret Weapon: The Pope". Time magazine. November 26, 2007. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
5. ^ Moore, Malcolm (June 1, 2008). "Pope avoids Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
6. ^ Pope's letter to Ahmadinejad

* v
* t
* e

Foreign relations of Iran

Africa|

* Algeria
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Egypt
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Kenya
* Libya
* Morocco
* Senegal
* South Africa
* Sudan
* Tunisia

Americas|

* Argentina
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Cuba
* Ecuador
* Mexico
* United States
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Asia|

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* China
* Georgia
* History
* India
* Indonesia
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* North Korea
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Palestine
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* South Korea
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Taiwan
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

Europe|

* Albania
* Belarus
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Croatia
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Holy See
* Hungary
* Italy
* Kosovo
* Netherlands
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Serbia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom

Oceania|

* Australia
* New Zealand

Former|

* Czechoslovakia
* Yugoslavia

Multilateral relations|

* Arab League
* European Union
* NATO

Disputes|

* Nuclear program
* Views
* Iran–Israel proxy conflict
* Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy war
* Arab–Israeli alliance
* Sanctions
* U.S. sanctions

Related|

* Ministry of Foreign Affairs
* Minister of Foreign Affairs
* Diplomatic missions of / in Iran
* Trade Promotion Organization of Iran
* Foreign direct investment in Iran
* Propaganda in Iran
* Iranian diaspora
* Ambassadors from Iran
* Foreign policy of the Masoud Pezeshkian administration

* v
* t
* e

Foreign relations of the Holy See

Africa|

* Algeria
* Central African Republic
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Ivory Coast
* Mauritius

Americas|

* Argentina
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Cuba
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Peru
* United States
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Asia|

* Bangladesh
* China
* Georgia
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Kurdistan Region
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Palestine
* Philippines
* Saudi Arabia
* South Korea
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Taiwan
* Turkey
* United Arab Emirates
* Vietnam

Europe|

* Albania
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Ireland
* Italy
* Monaco
* North Macedonia
* Poland
* Romania
* Russia
* Serbia
* Spain
* Switzerland
* United Kingdom

Oceania|

* Papua New Guinea

Former|

* Soviet Union
* Yugoslavia

Multilateral relations|

* African Union
* ASEAN
* Arab League
* Council of Europe
* European Union
* Organization of American States
* United Nations
* Observer to the UN
* Observer to the UN in Geneva

Related topics|

* Apostolic nunciature
* Cardinal Secretary of State
* Concordats
* Diplomatic missions: of the Holy See/to the Holy See
* Heads of the diplomatic missions of the Holy See
* Legal status of the Holy See
* Multilateral foreign policy of the Holy See
* Secretariat of State
* Section for Relations with States (Roman Curia)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template