ASIA/IRAN - Archbishop of Tehran: Putting aside the designs of supremacy is key to restoring peace

Monday, 28 October 2024 area crisis wars mission peace franciscan

OFMConv

IRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF

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Tehran (Agenzia Fides) – “We must abandon the aspiration to assert our supremacy and stop investing time, energy and resources in techniques and strategies that distance us from the light,” says Conventual Franciscan Dominique Joseph Mathieu, Archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan of the Latins and future Cardinal and stresses that this is the key to restoring peace in the Middle East and in the world.

The Iranian capital, where Archbishop Mathieu exercises his ministry, was hit on the night between Friday and Saturday by an air strike by the Israeli armed forces, along with other areas of the country. The Israeli attack on Iran, coordinated with the United States, hit military targets. According to the Anbamed website, the assessment of the attack has divided opinions in Israel and Tehran: “Netanyahu claims to have given Iran a lesson it will not forget, while the opposition says it was a theatrical action to show firmness, but that in reality it was ‘a caress’, as the minister himself, Ben Gvir, described it. The same type of debate continues in Tehran. But the spiritual leader Khamenei has warned against maximalist and minimalist exaggerations.” “Pope Francis – affirms Archbishop Mathieu in a conversation with Fides Agency – constantly reminds us of the urgency of putting an end to wars, which only bring death and darkness. It is time to face conflicts with courage and transparency. Only through authentic encounter with the other can the spark of fraternity emerge in our common home, which God, made love, has entrusted to us.” Tehran's politicians and military maintain their position that there will be a reaction, according to the Anbamed website: "Israeli intelligence services say that Tehran could launch up to 100 ballistic missiles in retaliation." Today, a meeting of the Security Council is also being held in New York, convened by Iran and supported by Russia, China and Algeria. It seems that the possibility of not being absorbed by the vortex of violence is suspended in the prevalence of political options that recognize the prospect of a truce and the end of reprisals as the only realistic way out of the chaos and end the pain of entire peoples. Archbishop Mathieu, who will be created a cardinal by Pope Francis on December 7, concludes: "by walking together, despite our differences, we can be true witnesses of peace. Let us not limit ourselves to dreaming about it: let us build it with concrete actions of reconciliation and unity." The Archdiocese of Tehran-Ispahan of the Latins is responsible for the pastoral care of all Catholics (approximately 2,000 faithful) of the Latin rite in Iran, divided into 4 parishes. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 28/10/2024)