President Hassan Rouhani, in seperate messages, congratulated the birth of Prophet Jesus Christ (PBUH) and the new year to Pope Francis and the world leaders.

In his letter�message to the Pope on Thursday, which marks Christmas Eve,�Rouhani said�following the virtues of Jesus Christ can help the world solve social challenges. He underlined that�analyzing the prophet's lifestyle, which was filled with endless kindness and tolerance, can lead to the removal of today's social and cultural challenges.

It can also pave the way to getting rid of difficulties and finding a path towards human perfection, he noted.

The Iranian president said Jesus Christ is a messenger of monotheism, love, and harbinger of freedom and freedom-seeking souls.

Rouhani expressed the hope that on the occasion of the birth of Christ and by the advent of the new year, everyone would witness the defeat of the COVID-19.

He further�wished for the health and success of the Pope and the happiness and prosperity of all the people in the globe.

In his letters to the world leaders, Rouhani referred to the numerous social, cultural, economic, and political crises that the world is facing today, underlining the need to�take initiatives to get out of the crises, as well as to speed up the fight against the coronavirus.