It was two or three years ago when I read a Farsi translation of a story about an abbey called “Il nome della rosa” [The Name of the Rose]; it was written by the Italian author Umberto Eco. The story takes place in the middle ages; the story of the lives of priests is narrated and the author writes about their inspiration, approaches and behaviors. Of course, these events have taken place in the history and are known to us. Instead of using these facts, you see that certain movie production companies in Italy or Hollywood or elsewhere in the world use luminous and heavenly faces of imaginary priests to make a movie and promote Christianity. This is the current status of the world.
Statements at a meeting with artists and filmmakers, January 23, 1995
