THE spirit of inter-religious dialogue waxed strong in the Vatican yesterday as Pope John Paul met the Iranian President and leading Shia cleric, Dr Mohamm ad Khatami, for a 25-minute private exchange in the Apostolic Library.
Speaking at the end of a meeting marked by a cordial atmosphere that was at odds with the heavy security presence in St Peter's Square, an obviously satisfied Pope took leave of his guest with the words: "I want to thank you for this visit which I consider both important and full of promise." President Khatami's meeting with the Pope came on the third day of his landmark visit to Italy, the first such visit to an EU member-state by an Iranian leader since the Islamic revolution in 1979. Throughout this week, the Iranian President has indicated his willingness to engage in dialogue with the West, apparently ending Iran's 20-year diplomatic and cultural isolation with a foreign policy that he himself describes as "one of distension".
In taking his leave of the Pope yesterday, the Iranian President again used conciliatory tones of dialogue. "I ask you to please pray for me. I will pray to the most Holy God that he give you success and health," he said.
"At the end of my stay in Italy and after this meeting with you, I return to my country full of hope for the future. I hope for the final victory of monotheism and of ethics and morality along with peace and reconciliation. God bless you".
Speaking with reporters afterwards, the senior Vatican spokesman, Dr Joaquin Navarro-Valls, underlined the significance of the visit, the first such made by an Iranian President to Pope John Paul, describing it as "a very cordial meeting that took place against the background of a spirit of dialogue between Christians and Muslims".
Dr Khatami was meeting the Pope not just as Iranian head of state and as a Shia Muslim cleric, but also as current chairman of the 55-nation Islamic International Conference which represents approximately one billion Muslims, a point underlined several times this week by Vatican sources who suggest that Dr Khatami is the highest-ranking Muslim received in a Vatican audience.
During his meeting with the Pope, which took place with the aid of interpreters, the Iranian President made reference to the 1986 World Day of Prayer for Peace, convened by the Pope in Assisi and attended by leaders of nearly all the world's major religions.
Dr Khatami expressed the hope that the "spirit of Assisi" would remain as a model for future common understanding between peoples and religions.
While official sources yesterday were revealing nothing of the possible divergences between the Iranian President and the Pope, especially with regard to the lack of religious freedom extended to Christians in many Islamic countries, there was no mistaking the small but vociferous opposition to Dr Khatami's visit expressed by dissident Iranians in exile.
Railed-off by police in one corner of St Peter's Square, a group of 20 or so dissidents shouted slogans such as "Khatami, terrorist". One of the group, an 18-year-old computer sciences student from the University of Toronto in Canada, spoke for his companions when he told The Irish Times: "What sort of democracy is this? What sort of democrat is this man, Khatami? He stones people to death, he has people hanged or assassinated . . . Italy should not allow him in . . . but Italy is interested only in making money, doing trade with Iran, buying Iranian crude oil . . . Shame on Italy".