The Iranian evangelical Christian community and others concerned for the preservation of Iran’s Christian heritage express their sorrow that the oldest Protestant Church in the country could soon be demolished after being confiscated by state authorities.
St Peter’s Evangelical Church was founded in 1876, after the Shah granted the land to American missionaries. The church building and compound are of inestimable historical significance for the Protestant community and, being situated in a prized location in central Tehran, the property has great commercial value.
The Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order (EIKO) – a state organisation – has moved to enforce a 1998 court order which ruled that the entire church compound, of around 10 acres in size and including two schools as well as dozens of homes, should be handed over to EIKO. By chance, the church authorities learned of the order in 2008 and an appeal has been effectively blocked.
At the end of June, the 20 Armenian and Assyrian families residing on the church premises were ordered to leave their homes, as were two Muslim families, whose eviction has aroused fears that the whole complex might be facing demolition.
Only recently, in Mashhad on 4 June, heavy machinery arrived without warning or explanation very early in the morning and proceeded to demolish the Evangelical Church.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) expressed sorrow and concern following the demolition of the Mashhad church and the reports about St Peter’s and called on the Islamic Republic to “immediately halt any actions that could lead to the confiscation, transfer, demolition or repurposing of church properties” and to “cease without delay … all threats intimidation and legal or administrative pressures directed against church leaders, staff, residents and members of the Evangelical community”.
Prayer Points
Please pray that:
- The authorities will respect the diverse religious heritage of Iran and cease the confiscation of church properties and any attempt to erase the Christian presence,
- International calls for the preservation of St Peter’s will be effective and that any plans to demolish the building will be cancelled,
- This situation will serve as a reminder that hundreds of thousands of Persian-speaking Christians in Iran have no place to gather and worship freely. The existing churches were all forced to deny them access. May the time come soon when new church buildings can be erected throughout Iran.
