Tension between the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch in Iraq and the President of the Republic

Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch in Iraq, has decided to withdraw from the patriarchal headquarters in Baghdad and relocate to a monastery in the Kurdistan region, marking a new chapter in the tension between him and the President of the Republic and the leader of a Christian movement.

Cardinal Sako, who played a key role in Pope Francis' historic visit to Iraq in 2021, is an important public figure for the Christian minority and political officials in the country.

For months, disagreements between Sako and Ryan Al-Kaldani, the leader of a Christian movement represented in parliament and the government, escalated. Al-Kaldani is affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces, an alliance of armed factions loyal to Iran that has become part of the official forces.

In July, the situation took a different turn when the President of the Republic issued Decree No. 147 of 2013, granting legal status to the position of the cardinal as the head of the Chaldean Church.

In a recent interview with a local channel, Cardinal Sako explained that the decree was necessary for administrative purposes to enable him to manage the Church's properties and endowments.

However, the Iraqi presidency justified the withdrawal of the decree, citing the absence of "constitutional and legal grounds" for it. In another statement, the presidency clarified that "presidential decrees of appointment are only issued for employees in institutions, presidencies, ministries, and government bodies."

At the same time, it emphasized that "the withdrawal of the presidential decree does not affect the religious or legal status of Cardinal Louis Sako," emphasizing that "Patriarch Louis Sako enjoys respect and appreciation from the presidency."

Condemning the "campaign" against him by the "Babylon Movement" and the government's "silence," Sako announced in a statement on Saturday that he had "decided to withdraw from the patriarchal headquarters in Baghdad... to a monastery in the Kurdistan region of Iraq."

While denouncing what he described as a "dirty game," he suggested to what he referred to as the "guardian of the constitution," referring to the President of the Republic, that he entrust the responsibility for the Church's endowments to Al-Kaldani and his two brothers.

Sako and Al-Kaldani exchange accusations of attempting to seize the assets of Christians in the country, which has witnessed decades of conflicts and suffers from corruption.

Al-Kaldani, who has been subjected to US sanctions since 2019, criticizes Sako's "political" role, while Sako accuses Al-Kaldani of attempting to monopolize Christian representation.

The Chaldean Church is one of the largest churches in Iraq. Estimates indicate that the number of Christians today does not exceed 400,000, compared to approximately one and a half million two decades ago. Many have been forced to migrate due to twenty years of wars and conflicts.

In northern Iraq, entire villages have been emptied of their residents who fled in 2014 when the Islamic State group took control of the region.



AFP