Christians in Iran are ‘leaven of society,’ new cardinal-elect of Tehran says

Rome Newsroom, Dec 3, 2024 / 12:45 pm (CNA).

Cardinal-elect Dominique Mathieu, archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan and the highest-ranking Catholic authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran, discussed the situation of Christians in Iran, regional Middle East conflicts, and his personal life in a wide-ranging interview with EWTN News.

The 61-year-old Franciscan will be among the cardinals receiving their red hats from Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica this Saturday, Dec. 7. The pope announced the names of 21 new cardinals from the Apostolic Palace window on Oct. 6 following the Angelus prayer.

“I trembled after the nomination,” Mathieu recalled. He was in a car in Rome with a fellow friar when the announcement came over the radio. Initially, he didn’t fully grasp the news until his companion’s phone began ringing with congratulations.

“I reacted with trembling at that moment. I’m diabetic, and I began turning completely white. It took some time to recover,” the cardinal-elect said.

“It was a surprise. But if you want, you could say that afterward, I realized there might have been signals from the Holy Father during some visits I had with him.”

Faith amid challenges

When asked about his past life and why he spent several years as a Conventual Franciscan friar in Lebanon — becoming a missionary in the Middle East when many were leaving — Mathieu explained that he first visited the “country of cedars” for the ordination of a priest in 1993. He saw Beirut in its post-civil-war state but was deeply moved by people’s devotion to their saints and the Virgin Mary, and their determination to rebuild despite everything.

There are nearly 2,000 Latin-rite Catholics in Iran among a population of almost 89 million people, the vast majority of whom are Shia Muslim. These Catholic Christians “can gather in churches that are recognized by the state. Only they can enter these places of worship,” Mathieu explained. “Generally, they can do this during services or during times that have been announced to the authorities regarding the churches themselves.”

“Our doors exist and are open for these people but are closed to almost everyone else. We, as Latins, also keep the doors open to our Assyrian or Armenian Church brothers and sisters — they can come, it’s not a problem, because we are not an ethnic Church,” Mathieu said. “We maintain a door, praying from within, hoping that one day perhaps the door can open to others.”

Living witness

“I am convinced, perhaps strengthened by the fact that I am Franciscan, of the importance of our witness, which is not verbal,” the Tehran archbishop said regarding Christians’ role in Iranian society. “Proselytism cannot be done, but we are not prevented from living in society and bearing witness.”

Unlike in Turkey, Christians in Iran can wear religious habits and pectoral crosses in public, Mathieu noted. He emphasized that he constantly reminds people: “The importance of our witness, of praying, of having a virtuous life, of working on our sanctification, because there we are truly also a leaven for the country. We can be that salt that gives life.”

The cardinal-elect also explained the openness toward Christianity from some Muslim study centers, such as the University of Qom. He noted that the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue maintains relations with Iranian state entities.

Signs of hope

Describing signs of hope among Iranian Catholics today, Mathieu said: “There is a great thirst for spirituality.” He explained that besides himself, the apostolic nuncio, and the nuncio’s secretary, there are no Latin Catholic bishops or priests in the country. However, there are five Daughters of Charity sisters, two of whom have worked for many years in a leprosarium in northern Iran.

Regarding the direct and indirect conflict between Iran and Israel over the past year and its influence on Christians in Iran, the cardinal-elect said: “I don’t believe there is a direct influence on Christians and the population, because their concern is really about the sanctions and embargo.”

Finally, addressing how to achieve peace in the Middle East as Christmas approaches, the cardinal-elect expressed sadness that, apart from Vatican diplomacy, peace and dialogue diplomacy seemed to be often lacking and replaced by threats and retaliation.