Hawzah News Agency- The head of Iran’s seminary Ayatollah Alireza Arafi had a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to the Vatican, Hojjat al-Islam Mokhtari, during which he emphasized that the relationship between the religious institution of the seminary and the Vatican should be deepened, adding,” The Vatican is one of our most significant communication centers and we hope that these interactions are developed.”

The head of Islamic seminaries further noted,” We adhere to the protocols of the embassy and the ministry, but in addition to these protocols, we have taken into consideration the deepening of the relationship between the religious institution of the seminary and the Vatican. We request you as the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the representative of the seminary in the Vatican to follow up on the approval of a delegation to visit the seminary in the Vatican, and in this way, the management center of the seminary will provide the necessary support.”

Ayatollah Arafi also stated that there are many capacities in scientific and research issues, noting, “We propose to have a common encyclopedia between Islam, Shiism, and the Vatican, since this encyclopedia can deepen the bilateral relations between Islam and Christianity.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the head of Iran’s seminaries noted, "During the meeting with Pope Francis, we mentioned that there are 12 global issues on which we agree, and we suggested that it would be worthwhile to prepare a joint charter on these issues as religious institutions."