Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu Sends Easter Message to Catholics in Iran
“In the Eucharist, we are truly united, even when visible presence is impossible.”
ROME, 7 April 2026 — Cardinal Dominique Mathieu, the Belgian Archbishop of Tehran–Isfahan, has sent an Easter message to Catholic faithful in Iran following his recent evacuation to Rome amid escalating tensions with the United States and Israel.
In his message, published on Easter Monday, April 6, the 62-year-old Cardinal said:
“I am far from you, the flock entrusted to me, separated by the events of war, waiting for the day we can be together again. Yet, on the holy night, I celebrated the Easter Vigil carrying all of you in my heart: physically distant from my flock, yet, precisely for this reason, mysteriously close to each one of you.
I found myself celebrating, so to speak, beneath the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, in the sign of the universal Church, in visible communion with the Successor of Peter and with the entire Catholic world. Close to the Shepherd of the Church, yet far from the flock the Lord has entrusted to me. But it is precisely this circumstance that allows me to learn to experience distance not as an impassable separation, but as a bridge that draws us near in Christ.
In the communion of Saints and the grace of the Sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, we are truly united, even when visible presence is impossible. What appears as distance to the eyes becomes communion in faith.
Cardinal Mathieu was evacuated from Tehran on March 8, following a series of targeted U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.
Confirming his safe arrival on March 9, the cardinal told Belgian Catholic media: “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.”
At a prayer vigil held at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome on March 30—Monday of Holy Week—Cardinal Mathieu invoked God’s intercession for the end to the war threatening the Gulf region.
Here is an English translation of the Cardinal’s Easter Message, which originally appeared in Italian in Fides News Agency.
The Archbishop of Tehran’s Easter Message: “While I am far from you, I know that in Christ we are truly united.”
I wish to share with you my Easter experience this year, marked by a profound awareness of the relativity of distance—between closeness and remoteness.
I am far from you, the flock entrusted to me, separated by the events of war, waiting for the day we can be together again. Yet, on the holy night, I celebrated the Easter Vigil carrying all of you in my heart: physically distant from my flock, yet, precisely for this reason, mysteriously close to each one of you.
I found myself celebrating, so to speak, beneath the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, in the sign of the universal Church, in visible communion with the Successor of Peter and with the entire Catholic world. Close to the Shepherd of the Church, yet far from the flock the Lord has entrusted to me. But it is precisely this circumstance that allows me to learn to experience distance not as an impassable separation, but as a bridge that draws us near in Christ.
In the communion of Saints and the grace of the Sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, we are truly united, even when visible presence is impossible. What appears as distance to the eyes becomes communion in faith.
We celebrate the Easter Vigil after the sun sets on Saturday, when, according to biblical tradition, the new day begins: a threshold between night and light. It is a night illuminated by reflected light, like the moon, which calls to mind the Virgin Mary. Just as the moon reflects the sun’s light, so she points to the source of all life: her Son, Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
The Gospel according to Matthew leads us to the dawn of the first day of the week. The women go to the tomb where the Lord’s body had been laid. The men had done what was within their power, giving Him burial; the women bring what comes from the heart: compassion, faithfulness, persevering love—even in the face of death.
And behold, there was a great earthquake. A sign that shakes both earth and hearts, shattering the enclosure of grief and opening the way to God’s revelation. An angel of the Lord descends from heaven, rolls back the stone, and sits upon it: what seemed definitively closed is opened by divine power. The guards, assigned to watch over death, remain as though dead themselves.
The angel announces: “Do not be afraid! For I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He has risen, as He said. He has risen… He goes before you into Galilee; there you will see Him.” And he seals the message, saying: “Lo, I have told you.” It is the fulfillment of hope: what was awaited as the ultimate event is now revealed in history. As Martha of Bethany said: “I know that he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.”
This “future” resurrection must be held together with the mystery already present: the resurrection active in the believer’s life through grace. In the risen Christ, new life has already begun, even as it continues to pass through trial.
The women, leaving the tomb swiftly—a memory of death and darkness—pass from night into day. They run with fear and great joy: no longer paralyzing fear, but reverent awe that opens them to faith. This is the posture of new life.
And even before they reach the disciples, it is Jesus Himself who comes to meet them. With the words “Hail!” He makes Himself present, alive and true. They approach, embrace His feet, and worship Him: a concrete gesture testifying to the reality of the Resurrection and grounding the Church’s faith. The Crucified is the Risen One: He who once seemed distant now reveals Himself as very near, accessible through faith and sacramental signs.
He, the conqueror of death, takes the initiative and sends them forth: “Go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Galilee is the place of beginnings, of calling, of lived, everyday life: it is there that the Risen One waits for His own.
Dear friends, there is a “Galilee” for us as well: it will be the day when, if God wills, we can be reunited. But even now, beneath this dome that symbolizes the unity of the Church, and while I am far from you, I know that in Christ we are truly one.
In Christ, alive and risen, closeness and distance are transfigured. Only He remains, who unites us, guards us, and guides us—until the day we are once again gathered as one flock under one Shepherd.
Archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan
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