Iranian writer makes proposal to Pope
Your Holiness, like Christ, you too can make the greatest miracle of peace of the 21st century a reality.
With humility and greetings to you, the great successor of Christ,
I have a strange and realistic suggestion.
In a century filled with war, slaughter, and the neglect of spirituality by young people, I hope that you can seize this historic opportunity of your courageous journey to Lebanon so that all of us, Muslims, Christians, Jews, and even non-believers, can kneel before your humanitarian gesture as heirs of the great Christ who seek peace.
It is enough not only to keep talking about the way of Christ on the sidelines of large gatherings in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, but to practice it elsewhere. In this way, all of us, both religious and non-religious, can regain true faith in the existence of miracles even in our time. Just as you certainly believe in the Bible that the great and holy Christ raised the dead, healed the blind, and in this way intended to point people to God in order to bring faith to the people of his time, and was even willing to give his life, be crucified in accordance with the Christian faith, and even suffer the pain of iron nails, so you too should create miracles today. This experience has previously had extremely humane and miraculous results in Lebanon.
In 1975, during the Lebanese civil war between various Muslim, Christian, communist, and Palestinian groups, a Shiite cleric named Imam Musa al-Sadr announced a sit-in and hunger strike in Beirut’s al-Safaa Mosque in the midst of the battlefield, declaring that he would not leave the mosque under fire until the killing and fighting between these groups ended and a real ceasefire was declared. At the beginning of his actions, he uttered the words that people around the world expected to hear and see from you in the Vatican’s press statement during these more than two years of war.
“All day yesterday and last night, the complaints of the people and the cries of orphans and widows reached my ears. Despite all my efforts and not closing my eyes for a moment, the shelling did not stop and the situation worsened. At 2:00 pm, I decided to sit in and fast. I have no food except God’s book and a little water. I am here to say goodbye to my mother, wife, and children, and to pray to God to save my country.”
Thus, they stopped the war in his honor. I am sure that you too are prepared to use your prestige to save innocent people. Once you set foot in Lebanon, stay there and never leave until the war and crimes against this land truly stop. While Christ’s miracles 2,000 years ago were to raise the dead and give sight to the blind, your miracles in the 21st century can actually be much more modern and much more moving to people around the world. It is about preventing the killing of living people in Lebanon and preventing the maiming of children and women. If you are going to strengthen your faith and faith in the existence of God and His Messenger, Christ, I suggest that you forego a few months of sojourn in the magnificent palaces of the Vatican and stay in Lebanon, effectively proving to all of us, including Muslims, Jews, atheists, and even Christians of weak faith, that Christ’s miracles for peace are still possible in the 21st century.
Otherwise, I would join the logic of my American Jewish and peace-seeking friend Rabbi. In a discussion with atheists, he said, “I don’t believe in that false god that you think about in your heart and fight about and don’t believe in.” Now, on this journey, the God of Christ has entrusted to you the same authority that Christ entrusted to his good disciple Peter.
“Now I say to you, you are Peter (meaning “rock”). On this rock I will build my church. and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. ”
His Excellency the Honorable Pope Leo,
The people of the world have heard many words about faith from the mouth of ISIL in the name of Islam, from the mouth of Netanyahu in the name of Judaism, and from the mouth of Trump in the name of Christianity. But all of us around the world today, regardless of faith, religion, or doctrine, are counting on your practical miracles performed in Lebanon to strengthen our faith.
Through your actions, you can surely restore to us, the people of the world, the true faith of Christ and the spirit of peace.
I apologize for making such a frank and bold request.
(One person on behalf of all peace-loving people around the world, regardless of religion, race, or political affiliation)
Written by Habib Ahmadzadeh