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“It is a very emotional day for me. It’s the first time I have ever led a service in Persian so that in itself, surrounded by so many Iranians, makes it very much feel like it is the start of something new.”

Born in Iran, the Bishop of Loughborough, the Rt Reverend Guli Francis-Dehqani moved to the UK in 1980, aged 14, after her father, Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, became a target of the Revolution.

“My particular experience and background gives me quite an unusual and unique understanding of issues that arise out of bringing different cultures together.”

Hassan Dehqani-Tafti was the first Iranian-Anglican bishop and the first President Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East; but the Revolution saw the US-supported government of the Shah of Iran overthrown and the formation of an Islamic Republic.

“My father was out of the country having meetings when the Revolution was at its height and he was advised not to return," she explains. “My father had become a target in the chaos of the Revolution and because they couldn’t get to him they killed my brother, who was teaching at the University of Tehran.”

In 1980, following the death of her brother Bahram, at the age of 24, the family moved to the UK for safety. Bishop Guli was 14 years old when she arrived with her father, mother and two sisters: “We were very fortunate to be allowed to leave, although we left thinking we would one day be back.”

On 30 November 2017 Bishop Guli was consecrated Bishop of Loughborough. The service in Canterbury Cathedral was held just metres away from where her brother Bahram is commemorated in the Chapel of Saints and Martyrs.

One of the bishop's briefs is to encourage Christians from Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds as the diocese “strives for contemporary society to be better reflected in its congregations."

“We need to be positive and take risks," she says. "We must create an environment that encourages people from all different backgrounds to feel part of the church at every level, including in positions of leadership.”

In 2018 Bishop Guli was elected vice-president of the Conference of European Churches. Her priority is to engage with others in work around issues with refugees and the movement of people across Europe. With huge numbers of migrants coming to the U.K. and with religious persecution being cited so often as a reason, there has been an increase in clergy asking how to integrate Iranians into their churches. “We are finding that many Iranians are coming to be baptised and be part of the Church. That’s a really joyful thing for us to celebrate.”

In March 2019 Bishop Guli led a service in Farsi at Wakefield Cathedral in Yorkshire: "In this liturgy we’re formally recognising a minority community as part of our wider body and crucially enabling Persian-speaking people and English speakers to worship alongside one another."