It is a great pleasure to congratulate the Chaldean Church community around the world on the3rd of July, the annual Feast of our patron St. Thomas the Apostle, who preached in Mesopotamia and India.
This is an opportunity for all of us, as individuals and groups, to meditate on St. Thomas' faith: "My Lord and My God" and to live the momentum of his faith on our daily life details. We have also to witness for this faith wherever we are, regardless of the price. St. Thomas has been known as a twin because he is a twin-brother of every one of us.
I call upon the bishops, priests, monks, nuns, and faithful to deepen our theological understanding of the Church and its mission according to people’s current situation and harsh circumstances. Moreover, to put an effort on unity, to be one family united by faith, love and service, rather than allowing a normal thing, like the difference in opinions, to split them into groups that may break away from each other. In contrary and in spite of the numerous and huge challenges, our unity will flourish the church when each one of us feels responsible and participates with his / her skill and talent. As you know, the church is neither the Patriarch nor the clergy, but all of us together. Therefore, we “the Church” are all responsible partners. We must join hands and cooperate for a better future. This was the motivation for the founding of the Chaldean League, which should be supported morally and economically.
In order to establish this faith inside every one of us, consolidate this unity and enhance joined efforts, we should focus on nurturing intellectual, philanthropic, spiritual, and theological aspects. Regrettably, some of these features are currently declining.
I also call on Chaldean politicians and their organizations, to come out of their confinement and contradictions, to unite their vision and their ranks and reach out to other Christian politicians" in addition to other components of the Iraqi society, so we can achieve together peace, stability and a decent life for all of us as a nation. Let us work for peace and give it a priority in our policies, "seek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 34: 15).
We have been through various crises, but none of them has affected us, the way that displacement of Christians from Mosul, Nineveh Plain did. This is because, villages were evacuated completely from their original inhabitants, and displaced families were encouraged to emigrate by the western countries. Now, our aim should be primarily, to stay and hold on our homeland to the extent that reflects the dimensions of our national and Christian reliability. To accomplish this task, you are cordially called to contribute generously to the campaign of a dignified return of all the displaced families to their towns and homes.
+Louis Sako