Card. Mathieu: Christians in Iran, 'peripheral' but 'transparent' witness to faith
Speaking to AsiaNews the cardinal-designate tells of a community that “is not a reality unto itself” but “shares difficulties and problems” with the rest of the population, which is “welcoming” but suffers “from sanctions.” In the cry of the poor, ecology, common home “the ground for dialogue” with Shiite Islam.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - A “peripheral” reality that shares “difficulties” and problems like the rest of the population because “that of Christians is not a reality in itself,” but is "called to be the leaven of this country,“ because as St. Francis said, when we cannot preach with the word we preach with our lives and give witness to God's love with our vta in a transparent way.” This is what Dominique Joseph Mathieu, Archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan of the Latins, tells AsiaNews. He is one of the 21 cardinals (here is the complete list) announced by Pope Francis on Oct. 6 in announcing the consistory to be held on Dec. 7 and 8.
We met with the cardinal-designate on the sidelines of the Synod proceedings the day before the announcement of his creation as a cardinal and have already published some brief excerpts from the meeting, combined with the first words of the cardinal-designate shared with our agency shortly after hearing the pontiff's announcement. In this second part, we delve into the topics of the lengthy interview ranging from current events in the Middle East, where raging winds of war and crisis are blowing, to the situation of the local community.
Below is the full interview with the Archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan:
Archbishop Mathieu, after spending three years in Tehran what can you tell us about it?
The situation is different from the time of my arrival, which was marked by protests over the Mahsa Amini-related affair. Today in this great Tehran, where about 17 million people live, the overall picture has changed for the better.
Since your appointment as Archbishop of Tehran you have been getting to know the Iranian people, how would you describe the population?
It is a very welcoming people, but one that struggles to be framed. In fact, I myself during the synod assembly, when I had to say which continental zone we belong to, I was struggling to answer. We are not from the Arab countries, but it is not Asia either; nevertheless, everyone is looking carefully at this reality on the renewed “Silk Road,” because it is rich in resources, and not only of the land, such as oil and gas, but also intellectual resources. Nor is the image that is often used, and revived, by the West made up of photographs depicting beards and chadors.
In the West, and in the media, are there therefore preconceptions in the Iranian reality narrative?
Absolutely! There is a preconceived view talking about Iran: it is a country full of contrasts. It is mainly the population that suffers because of the economic embargo and [Western] sanctions in place, which are causing serious problems. This is happening even though Iran has signed 25-year agreements with China and is an increasingly important member of the Brics [the grouping of emerging world economies originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China]. And, with new President Masoud Pezeshkian, there is also an attempt at greater dialogue and rapprochement with the West itself.
Have the outbreaks of war in the Middle East, which threaten to turn into one great bonfire, resulted in heightened security?
I confirm a normal tightening of security measures, as, moreover, has happened in Italy and other countries in Europe to guard sensitive points. Newspapers have raised fears of possible infiltration as happened among Hezbollah ranks. Tensions with Israel are being triggered in this framework, although Tehran on both occasions when it has made use of weapons has done so by announcing the operation well in advance; rather than a victory goal, the culture of “challenge” seems to be emerging in Islam, although we end up finding ourselves, here too, in the logic of conflict.
How prevalent is the influence of religion in politics?
I believe that today we live in a global framework [which does not only concern Iran], where the political logic and the language of diplomacy are marked by war, threat, revenge, and this is unfortunate. There are voices denouncing the failure of international institutions, starting with the United Nations in Gaza whose failure is evident. The European Union itself has failed, they are weak bodies and a mirror of the contradiction of a West that talks of cease-fire, of truce, while sending weapons. Pope Francis also repeated this on his recent apostolic trip to Belgium: today, in the world, there is a more general problem related to the fact that the ruling class seems more interested in itself than in the people it leads.
At the level of religious freedom, what is the situation? In particular for Catholics are there restrictions or limitations in worship?
At the normative level those who are not Shiite Muslims are framed in an ethnic group and, consequently, to their religion. The Latin Church itself, composed largely of Asian migrants, cannot be framed into an ethnic group and is mostly attributable to embassy staff or foreign migrant workers.
In terms of interfaith dialogue, especially with Shiite Islam, are there significant steps?
There is tolerance and there have been relations for many years, especially with Shiite clerics and religious who refer to the University [seminaries] of Qom, which seeks contacts with religious institutions or Catholic theological faculties. Nevertheless, difficulties remain even in the definition of religious authority: unlike the Church, it is not linked to a “divine call” [vocation], but rather to a progress, a journey in relation to studies and activities completed, according to a growth totally different from ours. Having lived in Belgium, in a Muslim neighborhood, and a certain time in Lebanon, I realized that where “theological dialogue” may be perceived as “weakness,” there are points of encounter and confrontation such as those touched upon by the pope in “Brothers All,” in the common home, in the cry of the poor, in ecology, environmental issues, we can find fertile ground, because it is a concern for the Muslim world as well.
Why is it important to maintain and sustain the Christian presence in Iran?
Even though Christians are a small minority, the importance is to remain. Pope Francis in his recent travels has favored the so-called “0 Church,...” Here, in Iran we talk about “0,00,...” but it is essential to be there, I am also convinced that it is very important although often the doors of our churches are closed, and this is sad. Restrictions on who we can receive in church limit the full manifestation of the value of inclusion as we understand it. We avoid moving on a very slippery slope, but as I always say, even where the door is closed, the important thing is that there is always a door. Because a door is always an invitation to enter, in God's appointed time.
Can you tell us some aspects that struck you about the local Christian reality...?
It is a small reality, characterized by two mostly English-speaking communities, one of which refers to the cathedral that is on the territory of the Italian embassy, because it was the church of the Italians when they lived in the country as workers employed in the construction of railways and dams. Most of the foreign workers today have left Iran and a community of immigrants from many mainly Asian countries has settled there, then the staff of diplomatic missions and the remaining domestic workers, married and with children. A reality that I appreciate very much, very much alive, which despite the difficulties [for example, it is not possible to have new priests, ed] has been able to find a way to live a certain form of synodality. Finally, there are good relations between Latin-rite Catholics and Assyro-Chaldeans, Armenians, although the latter are ethnic Churches and, as such, can receive only faithful belonging to that specific rite.
Your Eminence, one last question: all the more so in your near future as a cardinal, what will your pastoral priorities be?
Although I am in a periphery, I have realized the importance of existing, of being there. In this sense, the appointment as cardinal has shown, starting with the pontiff, that we are not forgotten. We may have economic problems, difficulties, but we share them with the rest of the population, that of Christians is not a reality unto itself. We have to live with the local people, using the same resources and freeing ourselves from the logic of external welfarism. My goal, on the pastoral level, is to train people to take responsibility for the local church, although it will take time, because we are - or must be - the leaven of this country, we must make available our wealth as followers of Christ, to be of unconditional love and mercy. Paraphrasing St. Francis, when we cannot bear witness with words let us do it with our lives: I think that is what is expected of Christians here. Finally, the important thing is to affirm presence in a transparent way, without hiding anything of who we are.
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