President of Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Family, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, is in Iran to meet state officials and discuss matters relating to women and families. Paglia who arrived in Tehran on Sunday, will hold meetings with Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi and Minister of Labor, Cooperatives, and Social Welfare Ali Rabei, as well as catholic associations in Tehran,” Leyla Falahati, the director of international affairs at the vice presidency, told ISNA. Paglia will visit Qom to present a keynote speech at a specialized panel on family-related matters. He will also meet and confer with Iranian activists in areas of women and family affairs. Instituted in 1981, the Pontifical Council “promotes the pastoral care of families, protects their rights and dignity in the Church and in civil society, so that they may be more able to fulfill their duties.”
