TEHRAN – The visiting chairman of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, has handed Pope Benedict XVI’s letter to President Mahmoud Ahmadienjad.

The letter has been written in response to Ahmadinejad’s letter which was delivered by Vice President Mohammad Reza Mirtajoddini to the Pope in October 2010.
Following is an excerpt of the Pope’s letter to Ahmadinejad:
I express my gratitude for your kind message and greetings conveyed by Hojatoleslam Mirtajoddini.
I believe that respecting the spiritual dimension of human being is a necessary condition for the establishment of lasting peace and a just social system.
In fact the relationship between the individual and the God for the dignity and sacredness of the human life is a fundamental principle.
When promotion of human dignity is chosen as an inspiring principle for political and social activities, it makes people committed to pursue the public good, and in this way the foundation of lasting peace among the nations is established.
Peace is a God’s grace that we should pray for, but the peace can also be brought about through the efforts by well-wishers.
Catholics living in Iran and all over the world are honestly working together for the common good.
I hope that the current friendly relationship between Iran and Vatican would be expanded and the relationship between the local churches and the Iranian officials would be enhanced.
I also believe that the establishment of a joint committee can facilitate dialogue between Iran and Vatican about issues like the legal status of the Roman Catholic Church in Iran.