Tehran - Cardinal Dominique Mathieu O.F.M. Conv., Catholic Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan, left Iran on Sunday with the staff of the Italian embassy and arrived in Rome. The Belgian-born cardinal explained that he had left the country “not without regret and sorrow”. He also issued an appeal: “Pray for the conversion of hearts and for inner peace.”
Mathieu was the only Catholic bishop to serve on a stable basis the five parishes of Tehran, attended by around two thousand faithful. His departure from the country comes in the context of the evacuation of Italian diplomatic staff from Iran.
A distinctive element of the Catholic presence in the Iranian capital concerns the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Tehran-Isfahan, which is located within the Italian embassy complex. With the evacuation of the diplomatic mission, the life of the small local Catholic community is now also entering a period of profound uncertainty. For the Catholic Church in Iran, this is a delicate situation: a numerically small community, made up largely of foreign nationals, which in recent years has been able to rely on the direct presence of the Franciscan cardinal. The departure of its only pastor temporarily leaves the parishes of the capital without leadership.
Cardinal Mathieu leaves Iran with Italian embassy staff
The Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan has arrived in Rome following the diplomatic evacuation. He was the only resident Catholic pastor serving the capital’s five parishes: his departure opens a period of deep uncertainty for the small local community.
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