Free Republic

Amid an active war, Pope Leo XIV has bestowed the Vatican's highest diplomatic honor on the Islamic Republic's envoy. Critics say it validates a regime that murders Christians, kills protesters by the thousands, and fires missiles at Western allies. In a move that has ignited controversy across religious, political, and human rights circles, Pope Leo XIV has decorated Iran's ambassador to the Vatican with the most prestigious diplomatic honor the Holy See can confer. Pope Leo XIV has awarded the Grand Cross of the Pontifical Order of Pius IX, the highest active diplomatic distinction of the Vatican, to the ambassador...

daryasafai: Jan 26, 2026. My speech on Sunday was in English because, through our broken hearts, we were speaking to the whole world. In the first few seconds, I asked my dearest compatriots for permission to speak to the world in English. 👇 “We are mourning—but we are stronger than ever. In just three days, we lost 60,000 beautiful young lives. Where were all the human rights activists then? Where were they when it was about Iran? I shared the video of a young girl beaten to death by the IRGC simply because she refused to wear the hijab. Where...