To mark Refugee Week 2026, Paula Gooder chats to Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani about her life, her faith, and her own experience as a refugee.
Bishop Guli was born in Iran and fled to the UK when she was a teenager following the murder of her brother during the Islamic Revolution. In this conversation, Bishop Guli reflects on her experiences, on the history of Christianity in Iran and the theme of migration in Scripture. She traces the importance of faith in her life and uncovers what it means to have courage and hope in God.
The Right Reverend Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani is Bishop of Chelmsford and a member of the Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords. She previously served as the first Bishop of Loughborough, in the Diocese of Leicester, from 2017 to 2021. Guli arrived in this country as a refugee from Iran, aged 14.
Dr Paula Gooder is Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, a Biblical Scholar and the author of many academic and popular books on theology, faith and the Bible.
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