ISFAHAN - In a move that blends diplomacy, symbolism, and public appeal, the governor-general of Isfahan has released two open letters to senior Christian leaders, calling on them to “raise [their] voice against this oppression and injustice” and express solidarity with the people living in Iran amid rising tensions involving the United States and Israel.

The letters—written in both Persian and English, sent directly to the recipients and simultaneously published in media outlets—were addressed to Aram I, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, and Pope Leo XIV, the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church.

Governor-general Mehdi Jamalinejad frames his appeal not only as a political message, but as a call rooted in shared religious and civilizational heritage. Describing Isfahan as “a valuable compendium of civilization, history, cultural heritage, and the handicrafts of the world,” he underscores its longstanding identity as a meeting point of faiths.

“Isfahan… has long been recognized as a center of peaceful coexistence and a focal point of solidarity and dialogue among the monotheistic and divine religions,” he writes, pointing to the historic New Julfa district—home to Armenian Christians—and the Safavid-era tradition where “the sound of church bells has blended with the call to prayer from magnificent mosques.”

The timing of the letters is closely tied to recent developments on the ground. Jamalinejad notes that he is writing after attending the funeral of an Armenian Christian citizen, Avanes Simonian, whom he describes as “a committed Armenian Christian citizen who was martyred in a brutal and merciless American-Israeli attack.”

The funeral and farewell for the Armenian martyr was held with the participation of Muslims and Christians at the 400-year-old Saint Mary Church in the New Julfa district of Isfahan, where Christian religious rites were formally observed and church bells rang in tribute—an image that echoes Iran’s emphasis on coexistence and shared humanity.

Both letters explicitly call for moral solidarity: “Our specific request is that Your Holiness raise your voice… so that this cry against injustice may resonate more powerfully,” he writes, adding that such support would reflect solidarity with “the dear people of Iran and Isfahan” and help protect their “precious and magnificent world heritage, which belongs to all humankind.”

AM