Iraj Mottahedeh

Iraj Mottahedeh
President Bishop
ChurchEpiscopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East
In office2000–2002
PredecessorGhais Malik, Bishop of Egypt
SuccessorClive Handford, Bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf
Other post(s)Assistant Bishop in Iran (1985–1990)
Bishop in Iran (1990–2002)
Interim Bishop in Iran (2002–2005)
Honorary assistant bishop, Dioceses of Lichfield and of Birmingham (2005–present)
Orders
Ordination1958 (deacon); 1960 (priest)
Consecration1985
Personal details
Born (1932-04-30) 30 April 1932 (age 92)
DenominationAnglican
Alma materUnited Theological College, Bangalore

Iraj Kalimi Mottahedeh (Īraj Mottaḥeda; born April 30, 1932) is a retired Anglican bishop.

Mottahedeh trained for the priesthood at United Theological College, Bangalore and was ordained a deacon in 1958 and a priest in 1960, while serving as curate at St Luke's Isfahan (the See church of the Diocese of Iran) from 1959 until 1962. He then served as vicar successively of three of the diocese's four churches — St Simon the Zealot, Shiraz (1963–1966); St Paul's, Tehran (1966–1974); and St Luke's, Isfahan (1975–1983) — before being appointed Archdeacon of Iran (1983–1985).[1]

On 11 June 1985, he was consecrated[2] as assistant bishop in Iran.[3] Following Hassan Dehqani-Tafti (diocesan Bishop in Iran)'s flight into exile (to the United Kingdom with his British wife) in 1980, Mottahedeh became the only priest in all Iran, and was unable to leave the country; upon Tafti's eventual retirement in 1990, Mottahedeh naturally succeeded him as diocesan Bishop in Iran.[4] During his episcopate, he also served as President Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East (2000–2002); he retired in 2002 but continued to serve his diocese as Interim Bishop in Iran until 2004. He then retired to the UK, where he has been licensed since 2005 as an honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Lichfield (where he lives at Church Aston, Shropshire) and the neighbouring Diocese of Birmingham.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Iraj Kalimi Mottahedeh". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  2. ^ "History". Diocese of Iran. 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Principal appointments of 1986". Church Times. No. 6463. 26 December 1986. p. 11. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 7 November 2016 – via UK Press Online archives.
  4. ^ "Exiled Iran bishop fails in plea to stay". Church Times. No. 6648. 13 July 1990. p. 4. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 7 November 2016 – via UK Press Online archives.