MARCH 2023

CHALDEAN DIGEST
WIKIMEDIA
AINA
Chaldean Patriarchate of Babylon in
Baghdad has reached 74% completion.
Construction
of Baghdad’s
Chaldean
Patriarchate
almost finished
Earthquake damage in Syria
Turkey and Syria reeling from earthquake ‘bomb’
The death toll from the devastating
magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit
Turkey and Syria on February 6 is continuing
to grow, with at least 40,000
dead and tens of thousands injured.
The Catholic anti-persecution charity
Aid to the Church In Need (ACN) is
sending more than half a million Euros
in aid to Christian initiatives in Syria
as the death toll continues to rise.
From Syria, Bishop Antoine Audo
SJ, Chaldean Bishop of Aleppo, said
that after 12 years of war, “this is a
new tremendous bomb, lethal and unknown,
which falls on us.”
The earthquake was the most violent
in eight centuries. He reported that Aleppo
is “a city of two and a half million inhabitants
without electricity, water and heating
and it is very cold, winter is harsh.” Many
people are living on the streets or in cars,
afraid of further tremors.
The Middle East Council of Churches,
an ecumenical liaison body of the
Churches and ecclesial communities
in the Middle East and North Africa,
called for “the immediate lifting of the
sanctions against Syria and access to
all resources, so that sanctions do not
turn into a crime against humanity.”
The Archbishop of Westminster,
Cardinal Vincent Nichols has written
to Fr. Andrawis Toma, chaplain to
the Chaldean Catholic community in
London, offering prayers and “sincere
condolences” to members of Chaldean
Catholic Church, which has substantial
numbers in the two countries.
– The Tablet/UK
In the implementation of the project for
the construction of the Chaldean Patriarchate
of Babylon in Baghdad, the
Ministry of Construction, Housing, and
Public Municipalities has reached advanced
completion rates totaling 74%.
The project consists of a three-story
structure with huge halls, classrooms,
and a mini building for inquiries at the
church doors. This shows that work on
the project is still ongoing and plans to
finish it are on schedule. Future work
includes installing alabaster flooring
and secondary roofing works.
The patriarchate is in Baghdad,
Iraq, at the Cathedral of Mary Mother
of Sorrows. The current patriarch is
Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako, who is
supported by Shlemon Warduni, the
archbishop of Erbil, and Basel Yaldo,
the auxiliary bishop of Baghdad.
– Assyrian International News Agency
The Iraqi President, Abdul Latif Rashid, the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian, and other Iranian officials.
Iraqi President receives
official invitation to visit Iran
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid accepted the invitation to visit Iran, which he received during his
meeting with the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The invitation was
sent to Rashid from the Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi.
Rashid stressed that Iraq and Iran are two neighboring countries, both have historical relations
and common bonds, and both can contribute to strengthening the security and stability in the region.
He is cautiously optimistic about using dialogue to solve regional and international issues.
– Iraqi News Agency
IRAQI PRESIDENT’S OFFICE
French recognition of
the Assyrian Genocide
The French Senate passed a resolution on Wednesday, February
8th, calling on the government to recognize the genocide
of the Assyrian-Chaldeans of 1915-1918 and to make the day of
April 24 a joint day of commemoration for the Armenian and
Assyrian-Chaldean genocides. After discussion, the resolution
was adopted by a vote of 300 - 2.
In the shadow of World War I, the Assyrians (also known as
Chaldeans and Syriacs) living in the southeastern region of the
Ottoman Empire were deported, expelled, and massacred by the
Ottoman Empire, in the same manner as the Armenians. France
recognized the genocide of the Armenians on January 29, 2001.
According to Professor Yacoub, an expert on the subject,
this “genocide and looting of land and property was accompanied
by severe attacks on the cultural heritage. Historical monuments
were destroyed and left abandoned, churches desecrated,
and schools demolished. Libraries of rare books and valuable
manuscripts were squandered and destroyed, such as those of
the Chaldean diocese of Seert or the Assyrian patriarchal seat
in Kotchanes, a small village in Hakkari now abandoned, or the
monasteries of the Syriac Churches in the Tur Abdin region.”
– Assyrian International News Agency
12 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2023