IRAN New cardinal of Tehran: in the footsteps of Saint Francis to be an “instrument of peace”

he was with Bishop Mathieu on the sidelines of the Synod, a few hours before the announcement that he had been elevated to the rank of cardinal. The appointment shows “the Pope’s incessant desire” to “weave and strengthen ties with all peoples.” The Iranian people are “welcoming” and not just “beards and chadors as they are described in the West.”

Rome () – “May this election as a close collaborator of the Holy Father, in accordance with Jesus Christ, be another sign for the Church, the people of God, of the incessant desire to weave and strengthen ties with all peoples, in this case , Iranians in general and their leaders in particular,” he says in a message to Bishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu, archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan, was elevated yesterday to the rank of cardinal (here the complete list of 21 new cardinals) by Pope Francis after the Angelus, when he announced the consistory that will be held on December 8. This decision, continues the new cardinal, constitutes “a testimony that God has chosen the weak of the world to confuse the strong.” Following in the footsteps and spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi, in obedience to the Pope, we will carry out the mission – the note concludes – of being an instrument of peace in the common home and for all brothers, in deeds and, if possible, with words.”

Dominique Joseph Mathieu Archbishop of Tehran Isfahan, was born on June 13, 1963 in Arlon, Belgium. When he finished his secondary studies, he entered the Order of the Minor Conventual Brothers and made his solemn profession in 1987. He was ordained a priest on September 24, 1989 and in 2013 he was incardinated in the Provincial Custody of the East and the Holy Land.

He has held various positions: vocational promoter, secretary, vicar and provincial minister of the Belgian Province of the Friars Minor Conventuals, rector of the national Sanctuary of Saint Anthony of Padua in Brussels and director of the corresponding Brotherhood. In Lebanon, in 2013, in the Provincial Custody of the East and the Holy Land he was Custodial Secretary, Formator, Master of Novices and Rector of Postulants and Candidates. On January 8, 2021, he was named archbishop of Tehran Isfahan (Iran) and received the consecration on the following February 16, the feast of Saint Maruthas, patron saint of Iran, in the Basilica of the XII Apostles in Rome.

Pope Francis’ decision to elevate the Latin archbishop of Tehran, who heads a community small in number but rich in faith and part of the “periphery” of the world, to the rank of cardinal can probably be considered a surprise. However, it is part of a pastoral line of attention and closeness to the marginal realities of the world, as demonstrated by the last apostolic trip, at the beginning of September, to the Far East of Asia and the Pacific.

In Iran there are around 22,000 Catholics (and close to 500,000 Christians) out of a total of almost 82 million inhabitants, the vast majority of whom are Shiite Muslims (90%; Sunnis are just over 5%). Among the various Churches are the Chaldean, the Armenian and the Latin rite, nearly 2,000 Christians who join Europeans and Latin Americans who work in the Islamic Republic. According to the Iranian Constitution (art. 13), Christians, Zoroastrians and Jews are free to practice their worship “with respect” to Islamic laws. Christians also have representatives in Parliament (Majlis).

The appointment surprised Bishop Mathieu himself, with whom He had been found on October 5 on the sidelines of the work of the Synod in the Vatican – the eve of the pontiff’s announcement at the Angelus – and he certainly did not expect to be part of the college of cardinals. Even though Catholics are a minority reality, my presence in Iran “is important to say: ‘we are here'” and to live transparently, without hiding anything,” the new cardinal told us. “What I try to communicate to our faithful – he explains in this preview of a more extensive interview that we will publish in the coming days – is that they be that type of people, who bear witness to the love of God. Christians in Iran must “be there and bear witness.”

On the pastoral level, the work of the new cardinal focuses on “forming” the members of the community “to assume the responsibilities of the Church.” It is a path “that will take time” but is part of the mission of being “leaven in this country.” A reality that is characterized by great “richness” on a human, social and spiritual level in a country marked by difficulties for the practice of worship, although theoretically there is religious freedom. On the other hand, there is the ax of international sanctions and the worsening of the winds of war that blow menacingly in the Middle East, with the perspective of an open conflict between Tehran and Israel. In this context of profound tension, the works and words of Saint Francis are more valuable than ever, according to which “when it is not possible to preach with the word – explains Bishop Mathieu – we preach with our lives and bear witness to the love of God. with our own life. I think this is also what is expected of Christians.”

The archbishop dedicates a final reflection to the Iranian people, whom he defines as “very welcoming”, who belong to a country that is “difficult to locate, as I myself experienced when faced with a question during the Synod, when they asked us to locate the place of origin of each one in a continental zone”. “We are not part of the Arab countries, but we are not Asia either,” even taking into account the recent change in relations with Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, he adds, “everyone is interested in Iran, because it is a state with many resources, not only on the land but also on an intellectual level. A nation – he concludes – that is not made up only of chadors and beards, as the media in the West tends to represent it, erroneously.