AUGUST 2023

CULTURE & HISTORY
KDP President Masoud Barzani welcomes Cardinal Louis Sako to Erbil.
CULTURE continued from page 23
Cardinal Louis Sako cautions that,
“The day will come when Iraq will be
void of Christians in light of the continuous
discrimination against Christians by
various parties including armed militias,
corrupt politicians, and the absence of
the rule of law, job opportunities, and
clear vision for the future of Iraq.”
Solidarity
Christian leaders condemned and denounced
the Presidency’s decision to
revoke the decree. Protests came from
civil society organizations, the Syriac
Catholic bishop of Mosul, Syriac Orthodox
bishops, National parties, the
Assyrian Democratic Movement, Chaldean
Syriac Assyrian People’s Council,
Beth Nahrin National Federation, Sons
of the Two Rivers Party, Assyrian National
Party, the Chaldean league in the
USA, and the Iraqi Society for Human
Rights in the United States of America.
On July 13, 2023, Christians gathered
before the Cathedral of Saint
Joseph in Ankawa in solidarity with
Cardinal Sako. Residents of the town
of Al-Qosh joined a stand in solidarity,
carrying banners demanding justice
for the head of the church and raising
large pictures of Patriarch Sako.
It’s not just Christians supporting
the cardinal. The Association of Muslim
Scholars in Iraq and the office of
the supreme religious authority, Sayyid
Ali al-Sistani in Najaf, expressed
solidarity with Sako after the recent
public attacks. An official in the office
communicated with the patriarch and
expressed his regret for the manner in
which His Eminence was dealt with recently
and his hope that the appropriate
conditions would be available for
his return to his headquarters in Baghdad
as soon as possible.
Bishop Basilio Yaldo was another
strong voice who issued a statement,
along with the Syriac Catholic bishop
of Mosul, Orthodox bishops, 11 ambassadors
of the European Union, and
other Chaldean Catholic leaders..
Statements from the Chaldean Community
Foundation were sent to U.S.
State and Congressional members,
initiating a response from the State Department.
Mathew Miller, the official
spokesperson for the U.S. State Department
held a press conference in which
he stated, “We are disturbed by the harassment
of Cardinal Sako, the patriarch
of the Chaldean Church, and troubled
by the news that he has left Baghdad.
We look forward to his safe return. The
Iraqi Christian community is a vital part
of Iraq’s identity and a central part of
Iraq’s history of diversity and tolerance.
“I will say we are in continuous
contact with Iraqi leaders on this matter.
We are concerned that the cardinal’s
position as a respected leader of
the church is under attack from a number
of quarters, in particular a militia
leader who is sanctioned under the
Global Magnitsky Act.”
Ano Abdoka, Minister of Transportation
and Communications in
the Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG), criticized President Rashid’s
decision as “unjustifiable” and said
that “for the first time since 2003, we
are witnessing a dangerous precedent
represented by the behavior of the
head of a state’s hierarchy.”
“Why is one of the most important
Christian symbols being unjustly targeted,
namely the institution of the
Chaldean Patriarchate and the moral
highness of the Chaldean Patriarch?”
Abdoka said in an open letter.
Baghdad without a Patriarch
Patriarch Louis Sako announced on
July 15, 2023, in an open letter the decision
to withdraw from the patriarchal
headquarters located in the Iraqi capital,
Baghdad, and settle in one of the
monasteries of the Kurdistan region.
The cardinal apparently no longer
feels politically or personally secure in
the Iraqi capital.
The last time the Chaldean leadership
fled Baghdad, according to the
Iraqi Christian Foundation, a Mongol
army was solidifying its control of the
city in 1259 A.D.
The clash between Cardinal Sako
and Rayan is nothing new. The sharp
divisions between the Chaldean Church
in Iraq and the Babylon Movement are
expected to continue. Christian interests
hang in the balance in a country
where fewer than 200,000 remain today,
a staggering fall from over 1.5 million
who used to call Iraq home before
the infamous 2003 American invasion.
In conclusion, Iraq’s future and the
fate of Christianity in Iraq are lights we
cannot see. What is done in the dark
must come into the light. This may
well be the last chapter in the ‘turn the
other cheek’ concept. The future will
tell if Christianity in our homeland
survives this calamity.
Sources: Articles by Keely Jahns, Al-
Monitor, Al-Ain News, Rudaw News,
Asia News, Shafaq News Agency,
Ankawa.com, Ishtar TV, Kurdistan24
News, Vatican News, America -The
Jesuit Review, and Patriarchal News.
24 CHALDEAN NEWS AUGUST 2023