TEHRAN, Iran (LifeSiteNews) — The cardinal of Iran urged for peace to be built in the region not by “coercion” but by “justice, love, and mutual respect.”
Speaking exclusively to LifeSiteNews, Cardinal Dominique Mathieu, OFM gave his hope for the region amid the recent surge of hostilities between Iran and Israel.
“As long as the right to preventive self-defense outside an international context prevails over mutual respect and trust, the best we can hope for is a ceasefire achieved through deterrence, but there will be no peace,” he wrote.
On Monday evening, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between the two countries. The move came after Trump ordered heavy U.S. bombing strikes on what is understood to have been nuclear facilities in Iran on Saturday night amid the backdrop of the missile war between Israel and Iran that opened in the early hours of June 13.
“Peace cannot be imposed by coercion or force, for it is not the absence of conflict or a balance of power, but a state of harmony built on justice, love, and mutual respect,” Mathieu wrote to LifeSiteNews. “It must be freely embraced, nurtured, and built.”
READ: Catholics decry US, Iran, Israel bombings: ‘may diplomacy silence the weapons!
The cardinal noted that such work to effect peace “requires effort and commitment on the part of individuals and society; that is, a conversion of heart and soul, encompassing peace with oneself, with others, and with all creation.”
Mathieu, made a cardinal only in December in Pope Francis’ last consistory, cited Pope Leo’s own calls for peace when making his:
Recalling the prophet Isaiah 2:4 – ‘nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore’ – recently quoted by Pope Leo XIV, let us be peacemakers who work for unity in respect for diversity. When guided by the Spirit, richness, variety, and diversity never become a conflict, because the Spirit urges us to live variety in the communion of peoples and cultures.
Since the start of the “12-day war,” as it has been dubbed by Trump, Mathieu wrote two “war diaries” for AsiaNews recounting daily life in the country and how hostilities have impacted those whom he serves.
In his latest, written on the 11th day of the war, Mathieu wrote how he “woke up from the deafening noise of fighter planes and drones that drop their bombs, and from the stunning gusts of the air defense that engages the interception. You get used to falling asleep, without really being able to rest.”
Israeli rockets did not spare the city of Tehran during the bombardment, with official estimates suggesting hundreds of civilians died during the missile attacks.
Since his appointment in January 2021, Mathieu has been the archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan, which is the only Roman Catholic diocese in Iran. A number of Chaldean and Armenian eparchies dominate in the country, which is home to fewer than 30,000 Catholics and several hundred thousand Christians, out of a national population of over 90 million.
Commenting on the bombing, Mathieu highlighted the importance of faith in response to the hostilities:
The Lord is the only stable connection, which must be nourished with prayer, in order not to succumb to the seductions of evil, which floods the line of fears and worries and makes it sink. Did not the disciples say: ‘Master, do you not care that we perish?’ – Mark 4.38.
READ: Trump rebukes Israel, Iran over hostilities after ceasefire announced
Pope Leo made special mention of Iran in his Sunday Angelus address before Trump’s peace plan took effect. As has been consistent for the American pope, Leo urged an end to violence and for global leaders promote peace:
Today more than ever, humanity cries out and calls for peace. This is a cry that requires responsibility and reason, and it must not be drowned out by the din of weapons or the rhetoric that incites conflict. Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable chasm. There are no ‘distant’ conflicts when human dignity is at stake.
Iran has been consistently highlighted as one of the most dangerous countries to be a Christian, especially since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 that saw the overthrow of the reigning monarchical Pahlavi family.
Muslims who convert to Christianity are highly targeted for persecution, with many having to live an “underground” life. Aid to the Church in Need reported that such Christians are described by the state as “undermining Iran’s Islamic regime.”
Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah in Iran, has decried the persecution of Christians in Iran under the current regime. Speaking to EWTN in the fall, Pahlavi posited the suggestion of a “secular democratic system” as the sole hope for Iranian Christians that would secure the rights of all.
The future of peace in the region, along with the safety of Iranian Catholics and Christians, remains very much in the balance.
