JULY 2021

chaldean DIGEST
What others are saying about Chaldeans
Iraq’s Upcoming Election Likely to Disenfranchise Indigenous Assyrians
The Assyrian flag flutters over the town of Alqosh, 45 kilometers
north of Mosul, on September 19, 2014.
Recently, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission
(IHEC) canceled election participation for citizens
abroad, disenfranchising nearly 1 million Iraqi citizens in
advance of early parliamentary elections set for October.
In a public statement, IHEC announced that the ruling
comes as a result of “several technical and financial, legal,
and health obstacles” that could prevent applicants abroad
from receiving their biometric voting cards by Election Day.
Bishop Yaldo: Post pandemic and war, our Church
is revitalized by Pope and youth
CHALDEAN CHURCH
MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
The commission’s decision was met with mixed reactions,
with many Iraqis in support. They argue that
citizens in diaspora should not be making decisions for a
country they do not reside in—a belief popularized since
2003 due to the corruption and failures of expatriates,
who played a dominant role for Iraqis in the U.S.-led
invasion and subsequent formation of the current government
and constitution.
Although this stance has some validity, it fails to consider
the negative effects the decision will have on Iraqis
living outside the country, particularly on Indigenous minority
groups such as the Assyrians. Ethnic Assyrians comprise
the majority of Iraq’s Christians, with many identifying with
their church classifications, such as Chaldean or Syriac.
With competition and deliberate interference from
external parties amid ongoing population drain, Assyrians
have struggled to secure legitimate representation. The results
of the 2018 Iraqi parliamentary elections suggest that
Assyrians have been effectively excluded from the political
process. Only one allocated seat—held by the Assyrian
Democratic Movement—was earned through grassroots
mobilization, without endorsement or funding from
ruling parties.
– Neil Joseph Nakkash, Newsweek
Baghdad celebrated the first communions of 210 boys and girls this month.
After the dark years of sectarian violence
and the still ongoing but “improving”
situation in the Covid-19
pandemic, the Iraqi Church, “wants
to start again with young people and
Pope Francis’ visit, a moment of celebration
that continues to bear fruit.”
Monsignor Basilio Yaldo, auxiliary
of Baghdad and close collaborator
of the Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal
Louis Raphael Sako spoke to AsiaNews
about the atmosphere of celebration
for First Communions celebrated
with over 200 young people from
the diocese.
“We are optimistic, especially in
Baghdad,” says Yaldo, “the heart of
the country from which to build the
future.”
On June 6, Yaldo presided over a
Mass in the capital with 210 boys and
girls who celebrated their First Communion.
A moment of celebration,
with the church full of family members
and faithful while respecting - the
patriarchate is keen to specify - all the
safety rules to prevent coronavirus outbreaks.
“The situation has improved a
lot, especially in Baghdad,” confirms
the prelate, but “attention must remain
high, while the vaccination campaign
that we strongly support continues
throughout the country.”
Many activities have restarted
such as catechism, youth meetings,
and masses, designed to give hope
after past sufferings. “We are working
on a general gathering of young
people scheduled for next month,”
says Yaldo, “a moment of prayer,
celebration and reflection on the
Pope’s visit, this will be the theme
on which we focus…an extraordinary
event that we must keep alive
and whose teachings we must put
into practice, renewing the message
of hope for Christians in Iraq and
throughout the Middle East.”
– Asia News
The church at Camp Chaldean in Genoa
Township, shown April 29, 2021.
Proposed Chaldean
church retreat
center hits another
roadblock with
Genoa Township
Southfield-based Chaldean Catholic
Church of the U.S.A. is proposing
a more than 28,000-square-foot retreat
center and two-story dormitory
with 40-bedroom units for up to 80
people next to St. George Shrine at
Our Lady of the Fields Camp on Kellogg
Road. It is often called “Camp
Chaldean.”
An existing campground on the
property features cabins, a banquet
hall, a high ropes course, a beach and a
shrine for prayer and mass. The church
The Chaldean Church
hopes to build a new retreat
center and dormitory but
has run into roadblocks.
operates a youth camp there. Families
and groups also rent cabins and the
banquet center for private events.
The Chaldean Church hopes to
build a new retreat center and dormitory
but has run into roadblocks
put up by the Genoa Township
Planning Commission amid neighbors’
concerns about traffic, noise,
lights, and a purportedly adverse effect
on home property values.
The Commission is giving the
Church time to address those concerns
and submit a revised plan; a
public hearing will be rescheduled at
a later date.
– Jennifer Timar, Livingston Daily
GILLIS BENEDICT/LIVINGSTON DAILY
JULY 2021 CHALDEAN NEWS 11