In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

He has now sent a messenger with a letter to their school, called the Andisheh School and asked us to let the school continue to operate. We are not enemies of the Christian, Jewish or other groups of the nation, and we do not stop these schools working in so far as they are schools, and used for education, even if they work for Christian or other groups. However, if we understand that such schools in Iran act in other ways, like that nest of spies, we cannot tolerate them. It is the duty of the government to consider this problem. If they are merely schools there is no prohibition; if they are something else, our nation cannot tolerate them. I must say to the Pope through you, and ask him if he is uninformed of the actions of those who call themselves Christians or whether he knows but pays no attention.
 

Does he know that we lost everything under 50 years of British and American domination? The Domination of British through Reza Khan and that of the British, the Americans and the Russians through Mohammad Reza? Does he know about our young people who are demanding justice and calling attention to the oppression our nation? These people have been arrested and sent from one jail to another; they have been bound by shackles and their ribs have been kicked in. They are now under the heel of Carter, the executioner. Should I then tell my nation that Christian clergy are not in the service of the superpowers? I am sorry that I cannot say that to my nation.
 

For if I so defend the Christian clergy there will be criticism. Why did the Pope make no comment when our young people were killed on the streets? Why does he show such bias? Does Christ teach indifference? Does Christ act well towards the rich and badly towards the oppressed? Do you know what those people did to our country? Do you hear the voice of our oppressed nation or do you only listen to the cries of tyrants? Do you know about the behaviour of the U.S. Police towards our young boy and girl students? Are you aware that when some traitors in America were going to demonstrate against our oppressed nation, the U.S. police protected them but when Moslem students were going to have a demonstration to complain about the oppression of our nation, what the U.S. police did to them?
 

Does the Pope know that our young boys and girls are shackled, that they have broken ribs and some of them are unconscious? Is he concerned about these problems? Surely, he knows about Christ's behaviour towards people? Why does he not send a message to Carter? I wish you could be sent to Carter with a letter from the Pope.
 

I know that whoever follows Christ should be the protector of the oppressed, and should fight the superpowers, just as the followers of Islam should fight them and release the oppressed from their claws. Why doesn't the Pope speak one word about the situation of these young girls and boys I am talking about who are imprisoned and under torture? Why does he not ask those people, who call themselves Christians and members of Churches, why they do such things? How can I reply to the oppressed people when they ask us why we defend these clergymen who don't say a word against the superpowers and the oppression, even of the American people themselves? No words are said and no message is sent to them [by the Pope]. But when we capture the nest of spies and their guilt is evident, he sends a messenger and a letter and now when it is a question of their school - about which I personally know nothing, although some people have been there and say it is a centre not of education, but of other activities - again he sends me a letter. We are not against science, we are not against schools, we are not against Christian or Jewish or Zoroastrian schools. But if the schools carry on other activities, we cannot tolerate them. First he must send people to visit these schools, see their conditions and inquire why our government could not tolerate them, which is their prerogative. But what I want to tell the Pope is that he should chance his policy and ask the people who have put our young boys and girls in solitary confinement why they have done so? I have never heard of the Pope defending the oppressed people of Iran or America.
 

Give him my greetings and ask him to devote himself to the oppressed and plundered, those who are under the heels of the oppressors. You should defend our young girls and boys who are now under the executioner's boots, and order your followers to release them. We cannot go under the domination of the U.S. again. Even if the U.S. kills our entire nation, it cannot come back here to look after its own interests and put our nation under torture and despotism. The nation of America should know that it is too late for America to come back to carry out its devilish plans. The Pope should criticize America for its behaviour towards human beings and ask it not to oppress them. Human beings are God's creatures and God's servants (the Pope should tell America not to tyrannize God's creatures). Such oppressions should stop. I hope that the Pope will act according to his religious and Christian duties and stop these American executioners and police. We - until the very end - will stand against America and will not let the Americans or those who follow them come back here again. Our nation is ready to defend itself until its last breath. We won't go back under oppression. Peace and blessings be upon you.
 

August 5, 1980