Continuing the follow-up to the preparations for holding the eighth round of religious dialogue with the Catholic Church of the Philippines, Abdolmajid Abolghasemi, the Cultural Counselor of our country, visited the office of Bernardo Pantin, the Secretary-General of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, and engaged in discussions and exchanges of views with him.

 

Abolghasemi, expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, which serves as the role of the Constituent Assembly of the Catholic Church, and considered holding religious dialogues a factor in achieving mutual understanding of religious and doctrinal beliefs among faiths.

 

Our Cultural Counselor expressed satisfaction with the peaceful atmosphere between Muslims and Christians in the Philippines and said, I hopes that the good and increasing partnership between Muslims and Christians will be effective in developing the cultural, social, and developmental affairs of this country.

 

Abolghasemi added: In a recent meeting that Hojjatoleslam Imanipour, head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization and head of the Interreligious Dialogue Policy Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, had with Pope Francis, while delivering a message from our country's President Dr. Pezzekian to Pope Francis, he stated that Dr. Pezeshkian's administration has been named the government of reconciliation, and therefore, the main axis of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is empathy and reconciliation.

 

He acknowledged: "This reflects the President's great attention on promoting peace in today's society."

 

Our Cultural Counselor, referring to a part of the President's message to Pope Francis, emphasized, "As you are aware, the goal of religious dialogue conferences worldwide is to conduct creative and constructive dialogues and brainstorm about common problems and dilemmas in human life. Therefore, all leaders of divine religions must make every effort to encourage and persuade their followers to find ways to establish peace and tranquility, and one of these ways is to hold religious dialogues between divine religions across the globe."

 

He continued: "Since 2004, religious dialogues on various topics have been held between Christian and Muslim scholars from Iran and the Philippines, and we hope that given the positive nature of the religious dialogues and the fact that the seventh round of these dialogues was held virtually in 2019, we will be able to welcome a four-member delegation to hold the eighth round of religious dialogues in Iran in late February 2025, with the continued support of the Catholic Bishops' Conference."

 

He added that if the delegation sent from the Philippines is of a high level, top Iranian religious scholars will also participate in these discussions and the parties can exchange views on important issues.

 

Our country’s cultural counselor in the Philippines further stated that, considering the theme of the 8th round of religious dialogue proposed last year by the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization “Religion in the Digital Age”—this theme can also be considered for this year’s 8th round of religious dialogues. Subtopics such as the digital age: its nature and characteristics, the impacts of the digital age on the religious and spiritual life of man, and the skills needed by youth in the digital age can be discussed and deliberated upon.

 

He also stated: According to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, followers of other Abrahamic religions, including Jews, Zoroastrians, Christians, and Mandaeans, are recognized and are free to perform their religious rituals within the limits of the law.

 

Abolqasemi noted: There is a readiness, in coordination with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, to organize religious tourism tours for the Christian community to visit historical Christian sites in Iran.

 

During this meeting, it was emphasized that Iran's scientific, academic, and religious communities are ready to exchange information and conclude academic memorandums of understanding with the University of Santo Tomas and other Catholic universities in the Philippines in religious fields, hold joint scientific and religious seminars, exchange professors and students in the form of scholarships and study opportunities, and cooperate and participate in implementing cultural and artistic programs.

 

Public Relations and Information of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization