ROME – As the war between Israel and Hamas intensifies on the Gaza Strip, so too does diplomatic activity intended to prevent a wider regional conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, for instance, currently is setting new records for frequent flyer miles in a single week, visiting virtually every Middle Eastern capital of note.
Amid this diplomatic frenzy, one interesting bit of subtext is the growing exchange between the Vatican and Iran, most recently expressed Sunday afternoon in a phone call between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Pope Francis. That conversation followed another a week before between Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, and Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
