TEHRAN -- "Man's salvation in Islam and Christianity is through bolstering of spirituality and self-purification in various political and social aspects," said the Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi in his meeting with Pope's representative in Iran Bishop Karakhiyan on Tuesday.

Ayatollah Hashemi added, "War and oppression are the major plagues of today's world and spirituality and ethics in their social and political dimensions have a very special place.

"Jesus and other prophets were sent to combat oppression and inequality at large and the Christian leaders are ought to be more active in this regard.

"The worst terrorist acts are being carried out in the guise of fight against terrorism and the tyrannical U.S. government is using the war on terrorism as a pretense for creating a unipolar world," noted the Judiciary chief.

He referred to the wide scope of Christianity in the world and added that materialism had dominated the majority of today's societies and various materialistic organs had extended their reach over many areas. "This has caused religion and religiosity to be relegated to the margins and Christian leaders have to do their utmost to prevent Christianity from being confined to the realm of the personal." Shahroudi said, "The message of Christianity was of a special nature and just like Islam placed emphasis on the purification of societies and individuals and that it set as a principle the purification of the intellect and the soul."

He thanked the bishop for his attention to the issue of blood money of religious minorities and said it had to be subjected to thorough judicial examination and consequently entered into the country's legal system.

Bishop Karakhiyan on his part said today's wars were the result of materialistic tendencies and added church leaders were also of the opinion that what goes on in Israel was the most conspicuous example of terrorism. He said, "The church's had no military power but that it was possessed of spiritual power, a power that nonetheless was ineffective over the youth who were very distant from the church."

Karakhiyan also lamented the fall in religious education at schools and the yawning gap between the people and the church.