Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage meets with Pope Leo XIV

Seyyed Reza Salehi Amiri, Iran's Minister of Cultural Heritage, met with Pope Leo XIV during his visit to the Vatican.

Seyyed Reza Salehi Amiri, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, traveled to the Vatican as a special representative of Iranian President Masoud Pezzekian to attend the inauguration ceremony of Pope Leo XIV and deliver the president's message. 

The Minister of Cultural Heritage held talks with Pope Leo, the new leader of the world's Catholics, and Archbishop Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary of State. The purpose of the meeting is to emphasize joint capacity building to deepen pilgrimage diplomacy, promote interfaith dialogue, and rebuild the moral order of the contemporary world through spiritual concepts.

Seyyed Reza Salehi said about the meeting: "We believe that divine religions are rooted in a single truth. A truth that calls man to dignity, love, and peace. Our cultural heritage is a language for global communication, and this language is what the world needs today to build a more humane future."

He also emphasized that Iran supports a message that goes beyond politics and is based on culture and civilization, adding: "We have come to the Vatican to bring the voice of a cultural Iran, a faithful Iran, a peace-loving Iran to the ears of the world. This meeting was a symbolic moment, but it will have a lasting impact. Iran is ready to play an active role in redesigning global pilgrimage routes and exchanging peace caravans."

Pope Leo also met with the Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, praising the depth of Iran's history and culture and saying: "Faith, when it speaks in the language of respect and dialogue, can rebuild the world. We welcome all efforts to bring hearts and nations closer together."

In a meeting with Archbishop Richard Gallagher, Vatican Secretary of State, Salehi also emphasized the Pope's designation of 2025 as the "World Year of Pilgrimage Tourism" and that this designation should be a prelude to reviving the role of religions in recreating meaning in today's chaotic world, adding: "The year 2025 should become a turning point in the connection between cultural diplomacy and spiritual diplomacy; because pilgrimage is not just a ritual act, but a shared narrative of nations about truth, compassion, and peace."

"With its holy shrines and a civilizational history of spiritual hospitality, Iran is ready to play an active role in redesigning global pilgrimage routes, exchanging peace caravans, and developing elite capacities in interfaith dialogue. What the world needs today is a return to a shared religious understanding of human dignity and the value of dialogue."

Bishop Richard, while welcoming the Islamic Republic's positions in this meeting, stated: "Your approach in linking the concept of pilgrimage with world peace is very precise, intelligent, and in line with the spirit of the teachings of divine religions. The Catholic Church supports every effort to promote coexistence, spiritual exchange, and the creation of common pilgrimage routes."