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

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

. Mottahedeh trained for the priesthood at United Theological College, Bangalore and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

in 1958 and a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

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 Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...

(1963–1966); St Paul's,

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

(1966–1974); and St Luke's, Isfahan (1975–1983) — before being appointed Archdeacon of Iran (1983–1985). On 11 June 1985, he was consecrated as assistant bishop in Iran. Following

Hassan Dehqani-Tafti Hassan Barnaba Dehqani-Tafti (Hassan Barnābā Dehqānī-Taftī; 14 May 1920 in Taft, Iran – 29 April 2008 in Winchester) was the Anglican Bishop of Iran from 1960 until his retirement in 1990. Dehqani-Tafti was the first ethnic Persian to ...

(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. During his episcopate, he also served as President Bishop of the

Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East The Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East is a province of the Anglican Communion. The primate of the church is called President Bishop and represents the Church at the international Anglican Communion Primates' Meetings. The Centra ...

(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 An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Church of England In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan) bishops – in which case they ...

in the

Diocese of Lichfield The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers of seve ...

(where he lives at

Church Aston Church Aston is a village and parish in Shropshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,354. It is to the south of Newport, though has become merged with the town in recent years due to suburban growth. Also ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

) and the neighbouring Diocese of Birmingham.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mottahedeh, Iraj Kalimi 20th-century Anglican bishops in the Middle East 1932 births Iranian Anglicans Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Anglican bishops in the Middle East Anglican bishops of the Diocese of Iran