Iranian Refugee Becomes First Bishop of Loughborough Church in England
Ms. Guli Francis-Dehqani, who fled to Britain after her brother was killed in Iran, has been appointed as the first bishop of the renowned Loughborough Church in northern England.
The Peterborough Telegraph reported on Saturday, August 14, that Catholic priest Guli Francis-Dehqani will be elevated to the position of bishop at the end of this summer, after 13 years of service in Peterborough churches. Guli, who was born in Isfahan, left Iran with her family following the Islamic Revolution in 1980 and became a refugee in Britain.
Guli says: “My father was a Muslim who converted to Christianity, and our family was part of a small community of Christians affiliated with the Anglican Church. I was the only Christian student in a school where the majority were Muslims. My identity is actually a mixture of Muslim and Christian; a kind of East-West, or rather Iranian-English. After the Islamic Revolution, the Christian community in the country and our family came under special threat from the new government. My father had become a bishop of churches in Iran. The events of those days ultimately led to the killing of my 24-year-old brother.
No one was brought to justice for his murder; but we have always believed he was killed because of my father’s position and because he was his son. At age 14, I fled to Britain with the rest of my family. Today, 37 years later, I have maintained my identity, and I find it fascinating how people can consider themselves part of a new community while being thousands of miles away from their birthplace. I am British; but I have also remained Iranian.”
According to the Peterborough Telegraph, Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani, in her new role, will provide humanitarian assistance and education to Christians from ethnic minorities who have fled to Britain to find a new life.
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