Iran’s Catholic Cardinal Evacuated to Rome Amid U.S.–Israel War
By Michael Haynes
Iran’s Catholic cardinal has been evacuated to Rome, amidst the increasing destruction from the ongoing US-Israeli military strikes being waged against Iran.
On Sunday evening, Cardinal Dominique Mathieu arrived in Rome aft
er having been evacuated for safety from his Archdiocesan headquarters in Tehran. Speak
ing to Belgian outlet CathoBel, Mathieu stated:
“I arrived in Rome yesterday, not without regret and sorrow for our brothers and sisters in Iran, as part of the complete evacuation of the Italian embassy, seat of the archdiocese. While waiting to return, pray for the conversion of hearts to inner peace.”
The 62-year-old Mathieu, a native of Belgium, was appointed to lead the see of Tehran-Isfahan in January 2021 and created cardinal by Pope Francis in December 2024. Prior to that he served as definitor general and general assistant for the Central Europe Federation of the Friars Minor Conventual.
According to CathoBel Mathieu was the only Catholic cleric serving Tehran’s five churches at the time, having no priest or deacon to assist him. A number of Chaldean and Armenian eparchies dominate in the country, which is home to fewer than 30,000 Catholics and several hundred thousand Christians, out of a national population of over 90 million.
