Ayatollah Ramazani's letter to Pope Francis; Religion, knowledge consolidation, duties of religious leaders, scholars

In a letter to the leader of the Catholics of the world, Pope Francis, the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly Secretary General, Ayatollah Ramazani, congratulated the blessed birth of the right Prophet and the manifestation of God’s attributes, Prophet Jesus Christ (a.s.).

The text of the letter of Ayatollah Ramazani to Pope Francis is as follows:


In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

“And We made the son of Mary and his mother a portent” (Holy Quran, 23:50)

Your Excellency

Pope Francis, the Eminent Leader of the Catholic Church

Hereby, I extend my congratulations on the occasion of the birthday of Jesus Christ the son of Maria (peace be upon him), and the beginning of the new Christian year, and together with your Honor we and other Muslim believers, will celebrate the birth of the Great Divine Prophet and the Messenger of love, affection and spirituality, and as we expect you to pray, we pray for that great Leader of the Christianity and all the believers in the world.

We are confident in God’s providence and grace in answering the prayers of the believers at certain times and days, and we believe that the Lord will answer the prayers that come from the hearts of the true believers, those who are waiting for the Advent of the Savior at the End Times.

We are passing behind a year in which various events caused great pain and suffering to humanity. Assassination, war, smuggling, violence, stockpiles of weapons, the weakening of the sacred institution of the family, as well as the devastating outbreak of the coronavirus, have caused increasing suffering among nations and peoples, and also increasing concerns among religious leaders and thinkers worldwide.

Expressing sympathy with the victims of all religions and nations of the world, the Islamic seminary and religious leaders in Iran, wish health, peace in the world, and divine mercy on the victims and healing the sick.

The religious community is also grateful to Your Excellency and those who work to help alleviate the plight of human beings at this critical juncture. In addition to praying and wishing for world peace, we, in our turn, are working on planning to address these difficulties and concerns, and we will not fail to serve the world.

In the logic of the divine religions, natural disasters are in fact signs for mankind to pay attention to important divine trials. Divine theology, familiarity with Resurrection, seeking the implementation and manifestation the world peace and justice, and realization of the ethics in the societies would be of the effects of this spiritual consideration. And this is an opportunity to manifest the high humane characteristics in society and to flourish the spirit of sympathy, self-sacrifice, love, and affection for others.

Comprehensive epistemological and scientific, logical and wise study of these events and how to deal with them, avoiding the false religion-science dichotomy, developing research to deal with behaviors non-conforming to the teachings of religion, trying to achieve social vitality and economic justice, strengthening solidarity and hope, paving the way for peace, kindness, and creativity in society, etc., are clear and obvious examples of the wide range of duties of all elites, intellectuals, and religious and cultural figures.

At the same time, religious leaders and scholars are responsible for protecting the spiritual perfection and health of society, paving the way for the manifestation of more virtuous morals, and strengthening religious belief and knowledge. Propagation of the teachings for prayer and supplication for the realization of spirituality in society and the emergence of hope in the hearts of individuals is another important duty of religious leaders in today’s world.

The realization of these matters undoubtedly requires the cooperation of academic and religious centers, along with the encouragement and support of the great leaders of religions who, using the divine teachings of the prophets as a precious asset, guide human beings towards epistemological and human perfection.

Addressing the harms which have attacked human thought and ideals, crises such as insulting the divine religions and their sanctities, injustice, discrimination, sanctions, environmental crisis, war, terrorism, promoting the use of weapons of mass destruction, etc., will not be likely except with the accompaniment and interaction of religious leaders and their attention to Revelatory teachings.

Achieving a kind of thought-based international consensus and paying attention to the principles of the teachings of great prophets such as “Moses”, “Jesus” and “Muhammad”, peace be upon them, is definitely one of the most important bases for achieving It is important to this destination.

Achieving a kind of thought-based international consensus and drawing the attention of the great powers of the world to the principles of the teachings of great prophets such as Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, peace be upon them, is certainly one of the most important factors in achieving this important goal.

Thank God, in line with the religious men of Islam and the school of AhlulBayt (a.s.), Your Excellency also believe that the elimination of corruption, discrimination, sanctions, injustice and other calamities caused by human oppression, cannot be removed except by adhering to morality, spirituality, practicing the teachings of the divine Prophets, as well as the strengthening love, justice, peace and solidarity among the individual, family, and society. Also, following the religious leaders and good servants of God is one of the most effective factors in this difficult path.

True divine leaders have always been and will be faithful to their friendship and covenant with God, the Almighty, and His Prophets.

In today’s difficult conditions of the world and despite enduring the pressures of sanctions and many restrictions, the Islamic Republic of Iran under the leadership of sources of emulations and the leaders of the Islamic Revolution, witnesses indescribable endeavors of voluntary movements, sympathy, and extensive cooperation between the government and all walks of life, including physicians, nurses, employees, military staffs, seminary and university professors, students, students of religious sciences, etc., who not only strive to achieve the same great goals but also to serve other human beings, regardless of gender, nationality, race, and religion.

Once again, I take this opportunity to congratulate the blessed birth of the right Prophet and the manifestation of the divine attributes, Jesus Christ (p.b.u.h), and I pray for health and well-being for Your Excellency, and as the secretary-general of a religious-academic institution with the international scope of performance, I declare that I am ready to share academic, research, cultural and religious experiences in the international arena and in the same direction of achieving the goals Your Excellency specified in the “Annual Message of Christmas”.

Peace be upon Your Excellency and all Great Religious Leaders


Reza Ramazani

The Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly

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