Hawzah News Agency –President Ayatollah Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi's message is as follows:

In the name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Your Holiness Pope Francis,

Pope of the Catholic Church,

I am delighted to offer my sincerest congratulations to Your Holiness and all Christians around the world on the birthday of Jesus Christ, the Prophet of Peace and Kindness, as well as the start of year 2022.

The birthday of Jesus Christ is the manifestation of the will and power of God, and the spiritual position of Saint Mary shows the greatness of the status of women in the ontology of the divine religions; "And remember when the angels said, “O Mary! Surely Allah has selected you, purified you, and chosen you over all women of the world".

Celebrating this blessed birthday is an opportunity to honour Saint Mary (PBUH), and to recall the moral qualities of the model of altruism and the herald of the salvation of the oppressed, Jesus Christ in standing against the tyranny of the oppressors and giving them hope for a better future.

I thank you for your efforts to bring closer the hearts and views of the followers of the Abrahamic religions, and I pray to God Almighty for your health and success, and the happiness and pride of all the servants of God and all human beings.

Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran