Pope Francis met Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani in the Vatican Tuesday. Rouhani is described by Iranians as a junior Ayatollah. The Pope urged Iran to back peace efforts in the Middle East. In a scene seldom-imagined the two men met and smiled they discussed Rouhani’s gift of a fine Persian carpet. In a statement afterwards, the Vatican said Francis had urged the Iranian leader to use Iran’s important role to promote, together with other countries, “adequate political solutions” to the problems afflicting the region and to help combat. Rouhani took a leaf from the Pope’s book and asked the Pontiff to pray for him.
