the full text of Ayatollah Arafi’s message of appreciation to Pope Leo XIV is as follows:
“And you will surely find the nearest of them in affection to the believers to be those who say, ‘We are Christians.’ That is because among them are priests and monks, and because they are not arrogant.” (Quran 5:82)
Your Holiness Pope Leo XIV, Esteemed Leader of the Global Catholic Church,
Greetings and salutations.
In an era where silence in the face of oppression has become the common parlance of the powerful and the self-proclaimed advocates of human rights, and where many world leaders have either sealed their lips or seen their tongues tied by the stutter of political expediency amidst the labyrinth of political calculations, your clear and courageous voice in condemning the bombardment of the innocent and delegitimizing the massacre of defenseless people, and in your support for justice and freedom, has shone like a light in the heart of this dark night.
We, in the Islamic Seminaries, hold these moral and humane stances of yours in high esteem and believe with conviction that:
Firstly: You have remained faithful to the true mission of Christianity. This is because Jesus Christ (PBUH)—whom we Muslims regard as one of the great Arch-Prophets of God and in whom we believe and hold affection—was the harbinger of peace, mercy, and defense of the oppressed. That which you voice today is a manifestation of the very message that Christ (PBUH) bore. You have demonstrated today that the See of the Vatican can be a platform for the cry of justice, not an altar of silence in the face of tyranny. The emphatic expectation of all academic, seminary, and university centers, as well as all monotheists and the oppressed of the world, is the continuation and pursuit of these stances in defense of the world’s downtrodden.
Secondly: You have proven that the religious conscience is alive. In an age where many strive to push religion to the margins of human ethical life and render it a personal and ineffectual matter, your stance in defense of the lives of innocent people stands as living testimony that the religious conscience can still be the most powerful moral voice in the world. Your threat of divine retribution against the oppressors is a reminder of that shared prophetic tradition which never remained silent in the face of the arrogant.
Thirdly: We extend our hand to you for interfaith dialogue in defense of humanity and divine values. The Holy Quran calls us to the common word among faiths: “Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you…'” (Quran 3:64). Today, that common word is the defense of the sanctity of human life and standing firm against crime and oppression. On behalf of the Islamic Seminaries, we declare our readiness for deeper cooperation with the Vatican to transform this ethical unanimity into a widespread movement in defense of the world’s oppressed. We recall the previous dialogues between the Qom Seminary and the Vatican and reaffirm our readiness for their continuation.
We hold that the divine prophets, from Abraham, Moses, and Jesus to Muhammad (Peace be upon them all), all drank from the same fountain of light, and their mission was the defense of human dignity, the struggle against injustice, and the guidance of humanity. What you and we do today is the fulfillment of this shared trust, and it shall be recorded in history.
We beseech Almighty God—whom Jews, Christians, and Muslims all call upon—to make this moral courage enduring in religious institutions, to arouse it within international bodies and the world’s governments, and to bring about the day when the voice of justice drowns out the clamor of bombs and the machinations of the wicked.
With utmost respect and appreciation,
Alireza Arafi
Director of the Islamic Seminaries
Islamic Republic of Iran
