On January 7, 2002 Zenit.org reported that "A representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran will participate in the Assisi world prayer meeting for peace convoked by the Pope for Jan. 24." According to Zenit, the invitation followed "a recent meeting with Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue," after which "the Iranian ambassador said that his country is always willing to participate in any initiative to promote dialogue between religions."

       The Vatican also announced "the fourth Dialogue Forum between Islam and Catholicism, which will take place in Rome sometime next year. The third forum was held in Tehran [Iran] last summer."

        But while the Vatican is issuing invitations to Iran to participate in interreligious prayer meetings and "dialogue forums," Iran, which is 99% Muslim, seems to be very busy helping Islamic terrorists continue Islam’s war against what remains of Western civilization.

       On January 13, 2002, WorldNet Daily reported that "The conviction is gaining ground in some Western intelligence agencies that Osama bin Laden, his family, Ayman al-Zawahiri and thousands of al-Qaida fighters made good their escape from Afghanistan through the illicit sea route created by Lebanese-Iranian super terrorist Imad Mughniyeh for smuggling operations in the service of terrorist organizations. They are believed to have made their getaway from Afghanistan in the first week of December, crossing secretly into Iran and heading out through the Persian Gulf - only to disappear again."

       In view of this intelligence, President Bush issued "a blunt warning to Iran last Thursday against harboring ‘al-Qaida murderers.’" Worldnet (based on Debka intelligence journal sources) also reported in November 2002 that "bin Laden had packed his family out of Afghanistan to Pakistan. According to accumulating intelligence, he moved his family so as to draw his American searchers' attention away from his real escape route, which a week later took him and al-Zawahiri from Afghanistan directly into Iran."

       WorldNet, citing many additional facts, concludes that "Iran was up to its neck in the al-Qaida escape conspiracy. Imad Mughniyeh, top terrorist operations chief for Iran’s radical spiritual leader, Ali Khamenei, organized the logistics; the escapees were led overland through Iran to its main Gulf outlet, under the protection of Iranian intelligence officers."

       Perhaps the Vatican should consider canceling its invitation to "the Islamic Republic of Iran" to attend the World Day of Prayer for Peace. And perhaps the Vatican should also consider canceling the World Day of Prayer for Peace. It promises to be no more productive of peace than all the other gatherings at which "representatives of the world’s great religions" had a nice junket to Italy, and then went home again - still outside the Church, and still without the only way to true peace in the world: faith in the Lord Jesus and submission to His Holy Catholic Church.