Mohammad Hossein Mokhtari, the new ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Vatican, met with Pope Francis and submitted his credentials.

According to The Iran Project,Hujjat al-Islam Mohammad Hussein Mokhtari, while attending the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican, presented his credentials to Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic world, during a special ceremony on Monday, December 25.

At the beginning of the visit the Iranian diplomat handed over a copy of his credentials to Pope Francis; Hujjat al -Islam Mokhtari also congratulated the birth anniversary of Prophet Jesus (PBUH) to Pope Francis saying,” I thank God that at the beginning of my term as the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Holy See, I will begin my mission by celebrating the birth anniversary of the Prophet and the great divine prophets in these blessed days.”

The Iranian ambassador to the Vatican pointed to the establishment of political relations between Iran and the Vatican, which has been developing for more than 70 years, saying, "This is a depth of the parties' interest in strengthening communication because of religious, political and cultural commonalities."

He added, "The Iranian nation has always shown that it is supporting interaction and dialogue, and with confidence, peace and rationalization and adopting wise relations with other nations, regardless of any idea and beliefs, we believe in negotiations through which we can reach an approximation.”

Following the meeting, Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic world, welcomed Mr. Mokhtari wishing him success in promoting relations in various fields between the Vatican and Iran expressed his satisfaction with the 70 years of relations, and emphasized the continuation of these relationships through dialogue between the religious fields, Politically and culturally.”

He added, "I believe that interfaith dialogue eliminates many of the issues, and the followers of religions are able to come to an understanding through dialogue."

The Catholic leader of the world pointed to the Gaza war, saying, "I pursue the terrible events of Gaza every day and even communicate with some religious influential figures, and I, like the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran ask for a ceasefire. There is no other result, except for the destruction and the murder of innocent people, especially women and children.”