DECEMBER 2023

CHALDEAN DIGEST
Iraq’s president
meets Pope
Francis
Iraqi president Abdul Latif Rashid met with the head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis on November
18, 2023. Photo: Iraqi President’s office.
Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid met with the head
of the Catholic Church Pope Francis in the Vatican after
a controversial dispute earlier this year with the
head of the Chaldean Church.
According to a statement released by the president’s
office, Rashid and Pope Francis discussed the
situation of Christians in Iraq with the president saying
they are a “key component in the building of the
country, its progress and prosperity.”
The Vatican described their discussion as “cordial”
and covering “topics of common interest.”
“The need was reiterated for the Catholic
Church in Iraq to be able to continue to carry out
its valued mission and for all Iraqi Christians to be
a vibrant and active part of society and the territory,
particularly in the Nineveh Plain,” read the
statement from the Vatican.
Four months ago, Rashid revoked a 2013 presidential
decree that formally recognized Chaldean Patriarch
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako and granted him
powers over Christian endowment affairs. Rashid
cited constitutional grounds as a basis for the revocation
of the decree that was issued by late Iraqi President
Jalal Talabani.
Iraq’s Christian community has been devastated
in the past two decades. Following the US-led invasion
in 2003, sectarian warfare prompted followers of Iraq’s
multiple Christian denominations to flee, and attacks by
ISIS in 2014 hit minority communities especially hard.
– Rudaw
Patriarch Sako calls for establishing secular system in Iraq
Cardinal Sako recently called for a secular system in Iraq that
separates religion from the state, citing it as the optimal choice for
governance in Iraq. Speaking at the Peace and Security Forum in
the Dohuk province, Sako urged for a constitutional amendment
in the country, emphasizing the importance of “establishing a civil
democratic state that adopts citizenship, embraces diversity, and
respects rights, civilizations, religions, and sects.”
He added, “The secular system is the best option for us, not the
sectarian system,” further stating, “We need to separate religion
from the state in Iraq. The state has no religion; it is a moral entity,
and religion is for us as individuals.”
Sako stressed the necessity of “promoting a culture of citizenship
and human rights,” lamenting, “Unfortunately, we have not seen all
of this, and I believe that such a project can easily be achieved in the
Kurdistan Region, which has taken practical steps in this direction.
We hope the region maintains this model of peaceful coexistence.”
Sako called for Iraqi families to educate their children on respecting
minorities, embracing diverse opinions, accepting others, and
fostering brotherhood. He highlighted the necessity to reform educational
programs, especially social and religious curricula, moving
away from extremist ideologies and marginalizing other religions,
and proposed amending the Iraqi constitution to separate religion
from politics, adopting a system that respects all religions, and establishing
a framework that does not interfere in religious affairs.
He concluded by stating that “the federal government must not
allow militias to control the destinies of Christians in the country,”
emphasizing that, “there is still solidarity with the tragedy of Hamdaniya,
indicating that the spirit of coexistence still prevails in the
feelings of Iraqis.”
–Shafaq
Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako, the Patriarch of Babylon for the Chaldean Catholic Church in
Iraq and worldwide, advocated for a secular system that separates religion from the state.
12 CHALDEAN NEWS DECEMBER 2023