Cardinal Dominique Mathieu, Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan, has been evacuated to Rome following the start of the Israeli-American military operation in Iran on February 28. The Belgian cardinal left the country along with the staff of the Italian embassy, where the seat of the archdiocese is also located.
As reported by the cardinal himself in a message disseminated on March 9 and picked up by the Belgian media CathoBel, he arrived in Rome on Sunday, March 8 “not without sorrow and sadness for our brothers and sisters in Iran”.
Evacuated along with the Italian embassy
“I arrived in Rome yesterday, not without sorrow and pain for our brothers and sisters in Iran, as part of the complete evacuation of the Italian embassy, seat of the archdiocese,” the cardinal explained in his message.
Mathieu also asked for prayers for peace: “While I hope to be able to return, pray for the conversion of hearts to inner peace.”
For several days there was concern about his situation due to the interruption of communications in Iran, which prevented knowing his status with certainty.
A small Catholic community in a difficult context
In Iran, approximately 20,000 Christians live, of whom about 3,500 are Catholics, including around 1,300 Latin Catholics who depend directly on Rome.
Even before the current conflict, Christians lived in a complicated context under the Iranian regime. In 2025, the Catholic community in Tehran was particularly affected by repressive measures that caused the dispersion of several faithful.
A pastoral ministry of presence
Cardinal Dominique Mathieu has developed a particularly singular ministry in Iran. Currently, he is the only Roman Catholic bishop in the country and does not have priests or deacons to help him in his pastoral work in the five parishes of Tehran.
The Cathedral of the Consolata, moreover, is located within the grounds of the Italian embassy, which has provided him with certain diplomatic protection.
When he was created cardinal on December 7, 2024, Mathieu expressed his hope that his new role could facilitate dialogue between the Holy See and the Iranian authorities, although the current circumstances have made that objective difficult.
A provisional return
The cardinal, appointed Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan by Pope Francis in 2021, had decided to remain in Iran despite the difficulties to maintain an apostolate of “presence” among the faithful.
After his evacuation, the cardinal will now have to meet with Holy See officials to report on the current situation in the country and the state of the small Iranian Catholic community.