Cardinal Dominique Mathieu has left Iran with the backing of Pope Leo XIV, bringing an abrupt end to the presence of the Latin Church’s only bishop in the country during the first days of war.
The development emerged in a joint exclusive report by Niwa Limbu for the Catholic Herald and Nico Spuntoni, Vatican correspondent of the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, which first published the story on Thursday March 12.
Their report revealed that the Belgian cardinal’s evacuation from Tehran was not simply based on the deteriorating security situation but was the result of consultations involving the Italian diplomatic authorities and the Holy See.
