AUGUST 2023

Recently, the most dangerous forgery
operation in Iraq is the selling of
private property without the knowledge
of its owners—Iraqis residing
abroad who left the country years ago.
The value of some of these properties
exceeds a million dollars.
Once sold through forgery, the retrieval
of properties is difficult, requiring
strong government and an impartial
judiciary. This is far from what we
have, which is authoritarian and partisan
influences and the dominance of
the militias associated with the ruling
parties.
Religion and Politics
Tensions between the Chaldean
Catholic hierarchy and figures in the
Babylon Movement date back several
years. The dispute between Cardinal
Louis Raphael Sako, the head of Iraq’s
Chaldean Church, and al-Kildani, the
leader of the Babylon Movement, has
become increasingly tense, ranging
from corruption charges to demonstrations
and taking each other to court.
In 2016, the Chaldean Patriarchate
made it known there was no relationship
between the Church and the
Babylon Brigade (50th Brigade), the
military wing of the Babylon Movement.
The Patriarch threatened to sue
the Iran-backed militia leader Rayan
al-Kildani in international court if the
Iraqi government failed to take necessary
measures against the U.S. blacklisted
military figure.
In recent weeks, the clash between
Cardinal Sako and al-Kildani has escalated.
In July, the Iraqi President
Abdul Latif Rashid ended the institutional
recognition of the Cardinal’s
office by repealing Decree 147, signed
by Rashid’s predecessor, the late Jalal
Talabani, in 2013. Decree 147 recognized
the Patriarch’s appointment by
the Holy See as head of the Chaldean
Church, “in Iraq and the world,” and
thus, “responsible for the assets of the
Church.”
The latter aspect is what matters.
The president’s decision strips the
Chaldean leader of the right to administer
Church assets, which are the targets
of Rayan and his Babylon Brigade.
Following the decision, President
Rashid tried to clarify his decision.
His office issued a statement saying,
“Withdrawing the republican decree
does not prejudice the religious or legal
status of Cardinal Louis Sako, as
he is appointed by the Apostolic See
as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church in
Iraq and the world.”
With the revocation of the presidential
decree, the cardinal will likely
lose control over the church’s assets
and properties.
In response to the president’s decision,
his Beatitude Cardinal Louis Raphael
Sako sent an open letter to the
President of the Iraqi Republic, Dr. Abdul
Latif Rashid. It was his third such
letter in the past weeks, and his third
letter that went without response.
The Chaldean primate highlighted
the grave consequences of the
presidential decree and suggested
that he might turn to international
tribunals to protect Church rights.
The harsh attacks against Sako and
the Church have pushed hundreds of
Christians—priests as well as congregants—to
take to the streets in solidarity
with the cardinal.
CULTURE continued on page 24
Since 2014, confiscating and seizing of property has become
increasingly prevalent in Iraq, with thousands of homes and
properties being sold without their owners’ knowledge.
Christians in Iraq protest in support of His Beatitude Mar Louis Raphaël Sako.
AUGUST 2023 CHALDEAN NEWS 23