Dominique Mathieu was born in
Arlon in
Belgian Luxembourg, the southernmost province of Belgium, on 13 June 1963. Growing up he lived in
Damme, though by his own account he grew up in
Bruges, a few miles away, where he studied with the
Xaverian Brothers. Inspired by the figure of
Maximilian Kolbe, he developed a relationship with the
Order of Friars Minor Conventual in
Louvain. He joined that order at 21 and professed his solemn vows on 20 September 1987. and a priest on 24 September 1989. He received his episcopal consecration on 16 February 2021 from Cardinal
Leonardo Sandri, with Cardinal
Mauro Gambetti and
Ignazio Bedini, Archbishop Emeritus of Tehran and Mathieu's immediate predecessor, as co-consecrators, in Rome's
Basilica of the Twelve Apostles, and left Rome in November to take possession of his see, where the Cathedral of the Consolata, the bishop's residence, and the diocesan offices are located on the grounds of the Italian embassy in Tehran. In March 2021 he told an interviewer that from the time he entered religious life he "almost always felt affinity with the Islamic world". On 6 October 2024, Pope Francis announced that he planned to make Mathieu a cardinal in December. On 7 December 2024, the Pope did so, assigning him as a member of the order of cardinal priests the title of
Santa Giovanna Antida Thouret. He became the third cardinal associated with modern Iran. He participated in the
2025 papal conclave that resulted in the election of
Pope Leo XIV. Mathieu has been described as having "a passion for astronomy". He was evacuated from Tehran and arrived in Rome on 8 March. ==See also==