Religion

Senior Shiite Cleric Thanks Pope for His Stance on Islam

In a recent letter, senior Iranian cleric Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi thanked Pope Francis for his remarks in defence of Islam.

According to a report by Jomhouri Eslami newspaper, as translated by IFP, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi penned a thank-you-letter to the Pope on account of the Catholic leader’s recent denial of any relationship between terrorist operations by Takfiri [extremist] groups and Islam.

“I explicitly announce that according to Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslims, Takfiri sects are renegades of Islam and deemed to be the greatest scourge on humanity,” he wrote in his letter which was handed to the Pope by Iran’s Ambassador to Vatican City.

In his letter, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi also condemned the July murder of a French priest by terrorists at a church in France.

His remarks came after Pope Francis defended Muslims and stressed that ‘Islam is NOT terrorism’.

In early August, the Pope said, “I think it is not right to identify Islam with terrorism.

“It is not right and it is not true.”

Francis was responding to a question about the killing on July 26 of an 85-year-old Roman Catholic priest by knife-wielding attackers who burst into a church service in western France, forced the priest to his knees and slit his throat.

The attack was claimed by ISIS, as reported by The Express.

He said, “I think that in nearly all religions there is always a small fundamentalist group.”

“We have them,” he said, referring to Catholicism.

“I don’t like to talk about Islamic violence because every day when I look at the papers I see violence here in Italy – someone killing his girlfriend, someone killing his mother-in-law. These are baptised Catholics.”

“If I speak of Islamic violence, I have to speak of Catholic violence. Not all Muslims are violent.”

He said there were various causes of terrorism.

The Pope said, “I know it dangerous to say this but terrorism grows when there is no other option and when money is made and it, instead of the person, is put at the centre of the world economy.

“That is the first form of terrorism. That is a basic terrorism against all humanity. Let’s talk about that.”

IFP Editorial Staff

The IFP Editorial Staff is composed of dozens of skilled journalists, news-writers, and analysts whose works are edited and published by experienced editors specialized in Iran News. The editor of each IFP Service is responsible for the report published by the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website, and can be contacted through the ways mentioned in the "IFP Editorial Staff" section.

Recent Posts

“Iran Hamdel” campaign sends aid to Gaza amid war

Aid items donated by millions of Iranians within a national campaign, have reached the beseiged…

5 hours ago

Iranian deputy FM: Cooperation with Saudis serves as a successful model for fostering peace and security

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi has said Iran and Saudi Arabia are committed…

5 hours ago

Official: Iran responds to IAEA resolution with increased nuclear enrichment capacity

Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), says the organization…

6 hours ago

Pictures: Demonstrators in Tehran support people of Gaza, Lebanon

Hundreds of people gathered in Tehran on Friday morning in front of the United Nations…

7 hours ago

Int’l lawyer: US plans to sanction countries cooperating with ICC on Netanyahu arrest

An international law expert and analyst has revealed the U.S. plans to impose punitive measures…

9 hours ago

Minister of science: 25% of Iranian university professors emigrated due to economic challenges

Iran’s Minister of Science, Research, and Technology, Hossein Simayee Saraf, addressed on Thursday academic migration…

9 hours ago