Cardinal Dominique Mathieu safely evacuated from Iran to Rome after days of silence amid military conflict and embassy withdrawals.
Newsroom (10/03/2026 Gaudium Press ) In a quiet but deeply symbolic moment for the Catholic Church and for diplomacy in a region on edge, Cardinal Dominique Mathieu, the Belgian Archbishop of Tehran–Isfahan, has been safely evacuated from Iran. He arrived in Rome on Saturday, March 8, alongside staff members from the Italian Embassy, after several days during which his whereabouts were uncertain.
Catholics around the world had grown increasingly worried about Cardinal Mathieu’s safety following a major Israeli-American military operation launched in Iran on February 28, which severely disrupted communications across the country. The silence that followed raised alarms within Church circles and among diplomats in Rome, particularly as reports of foreign embassy evacuations began to surface.
On Monday, March 9, Cardinal Mathieu confirmed his safe arrival to Belgian Catholic media, acknowledging both relief and sorrow.
“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, the seat of the archdiocese. While waiting to return there, pray for the conversion of hearts to inner peace,” he said.
Church officials, including members of the Conventual Franciscans, had only managed to contact him briefly in recent days as the situation deteriorated.
Fragile Flock in a Time of Fear
Before the current conflict, Christians in Iran were already among the country’s most vulnerable communities. The Christian population numbers roughly 20,000, with about 3,500 Catholics belonging to the Archdiocese of Tehran–Isfahan.
In 2025, the Catholic community endured a new wave of repression, especially targeting Catholic women married to Iranian citizens, who were reportedly pressured to convert to Islam. These pressures scattered the once-tightly knit parishes of the Iranian capital, leaving faithful struggling to maintain even the basic rhythms of religious life.
Through it all, Cardinal Mathieu continued his ministry with quiet determination. Serving five parishes in Tehran without priests or deacons, he effectively became a solitary shepherd to his dispersed flock. His base, the Cathedral of the Consolata, sits within the Italian Embassy compound, a fact that provided vital diplomatic protection but also bound the archdiocese’s fate to that of the embassy itself.
From Tehran to Rome: A Solitary Journey
Appointed Archbishop of Tehran–Isfahan by Pope Francis in 2021, and later elevated to the College of Cardinals in December 2024, Dominique Mathieu had become a rare bridge between Iran’s tiny Catholic community and the global Church. His forced departure marks not only a personal displacement but also a temporary vacuum in pastoral leadership for Catholics in Iran.
Now in Rome, the cardinal is expected to brief officials of the Holy See on the realities facing Christians in the country, including the humanitarian impact of the recent escalation and the uncertain future of interfaith coexistence in Iran.
For a community that has long lived under quiet strain, Cardinal Mathieu’s evacuation underscores the increasingly precarious position of Christianity in Iran—a faith sustained by the devotion of a few and the diplomacy of the Church.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from College of Cardinals Report
Related Images:
