Tehran, Dec 25, IRNA President Hassan Rouhani, in a message on Wednesday, felicitated Pope Francis on the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ (PBUH) and the advent of the New Year.
In his message, the Iranian President expressed hope that the Pope as the Leader of the world Catholic Church could help expand peace in the world, reduce poverty, lead the world full of violence, discrimination and extremism into tranquility, justice and moderation.
He said the life of the Pope as a religious leader points to efforts to prepare the ground for dialogue among Christian sects and also interaction and dialogue among Muslim and Jewish leaders.