Pope Francis aims for Middle East peace as next diplomatic miracle as he hosts Iranian president
Francis’s chance to get the ball rolling will come on Tuesday, when, having previously spoken at length on the disintegration of Syria, he will play host to President Hassan Rouhani during the Iranian leader’s first trip to the West following the lifting of sanctions.“This is a very significant meeting, and one the Pope finds very encouraging,” the Vatican’s chief spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said of the trip in which Mr Rouhani will also meet the Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, before flying to Paris to meet President François Hollande on Wednesday.