Vatican City, Jan 26, 2016 / 09:28 am
On Tuesday Pope Francis met with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani for the first time, an encounter that focused heavily on human rights, religious freedom, and an end to the spread of terrorism.
Originally scheduled to take place in November, Rouhani's visit was canceled at the last minute due to the Nov. 13, 2015, attacks in Paris. It also follows the lifting of international sanctions against the country after a long-anticipated nuclear agreement was reached in July.
The Jan. 26 meeting between Francis the Iranian president took place in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, and lasted 40 minutes.
Rouhani was accompanied by a delegation of 12 persons, all of whom were men save an Iranian woman who served as one of two interpreters assisting during the encounter. Rouhani spoke in Farsi, while Pope Francis spoke in Italian.