Religion

Patriarch of Iraqi Chaldean Church transfers from Baghdad to Erbil

The Iraqi presidency issued a new decree on July 3, replacing Decree No. 147 of 2013, which designated Louis Raphael Sako as the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq.

Kurdistan 24 2023/07/15 21:24

Bashar Matti Warda, the Archbishop of Erbil, speaking at the press conference, July 15, 2023. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan Chaldean Catholic Church Bashar Matti Warda Babylon Movement Rayan al-Kildani Cardinal Louis Raphaël I Sako

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Bashar Matti Warda, the Archbishop of Erbil, at a press conference on Saturday announced that Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako is the rightful Patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and worldwide.

The Iraqi presidency issued a new decree on July 3, replacing Decree No. 147 of 2013, which designated Louis Raphael Sako as patriarch.

Warda contended that the Iraqi government should explain the president's decision.

The Patriarchate of the church announced on Saturday that, in response to the Iraqi presidency’s decision, they have decided to withdraw from Baghdad and transfer their patriarchate to Erbil.

Cardinal Louis Sako sent a message to the Iraqi president, prime minister, and the Christian people in Iraq. He contended that they have faced an unjust smear campaign from the Babylon Movement.

A party comprising Chaldeans, the Babylon Movement was founded in 2014 in response to the emergence of ISIS in Iraq. The movement is reportedly involved with the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi). In Iraq's Oct. 10, 2021, elections, the Babylon Movement secured four of the five quota seats reserved for the country's Christians in the 329-seat parliament.

Moreover, Sako stated that the decision was taken by President Latif Rashid’s office to fulfill the Babylon Movement's wishes by appointing Babylon Movement Secretary-General Rayan al-Kildani as head of church endowments and placing al-Kildani’s family members in positions of power. This included placing al-Kildani’s sister Aswan as his deputy, his other sister Sarmadi in charge of finance, and his brother Wasama in charge of security on the Nineveh Plain.

On Thursday, Christians in Ankawa rallied against the presidential decree that ousted Patriarch Cardinal Louis Sako. They called on the Iraqi presidency to cancel the decree.

Nonetheless, President Rashid in a statement announced that the withdrawal of Decree No. 147 will not harm Cardinal Louis Sako's religious or legal status because he has been appointed as a patriarch of the Chaldean Church by Pope Francis.

Following the rise of ISIS in 2014, thousands of Christians fled to the Kurdistan Region, where they sought sanctuary in multi-ethnic and Christian-majority towns. The Christian population in the Kurdistan Region is estimated to be about 60,000 residents.

Religious leaders of the community on several occasions have praised the government’s efforts to protect Christians, whose numbers have been shrinking in Iraq since 2003 due to persecution and terrorism.

Previously in Dec. 2022, Archbishop Warda praised the KRG for its help in protecting Christians in the aftermath of their persecution by ISIS.

“Without the help that came from the government of Kurdistan would never be shown to the world,” he said in an interview with Kurdistan 24.

Warda hoped the new report would give the Christian parties and the KRG more power and support to further investigate the atrocities. Around 2,000 Christians fled Nineveh Plains following the ISIS takeover of the area, which was highly occupied by the members of the religious group, according to Warda.