🇮🇷🇮🇹 The only Catholic bishop of Iran, 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.
Cardinal Dominique Mathieu: “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.”
In Iran live approximately 20,000 Christians, 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, affected by great repressive measures.