Unity is not a Return to What we were, but Rather to focus on What we should be

By Chaldean Patriarchate

Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako

 

On the Conclusion of the Church’s Sanctification Season of the Chaldean Liturgy

I would like honestly and fraternally to share with you some personal proposals about Churches’ Unity, even though, I have already raised the issue previously, several times.

In the profession of its’ faith, the Church of the East is still reciting “I believe in One, Holy, Catholic (Universal) and Apostolic Church”, for fifteen hundred years up-to-date, despite being divided, because it is ONE in the essence.

 Today, the Official name of the Assyrian Church of the East is:

 the Holy, Apostolic and Catholic Assyrian Church of the East

 ܥܕܬܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ ܫܠܝܚܝܬܐ ܘܩܬܠܝܩܝ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ ܕܐܬܘܪ̈ܝܐ 

Schism is Against the Will of Christ

Words cannot describe the extent of the consequences of dividing the Church of the East into four Churches: the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, the ancient Eastern Church, and the Assyrian Protestant Evangelical Church.

Who knows? other Churches may emerge in the future.

Up-to-date, the “so-called separated” first three Churches (Chaldean, Assyrian, and Eastern ancient) share history, tradition, richness of heritage, beauty of art, language and liturgy, in addition to being neighbors, living in the same geographical area.

Unity is not a Return to What we were, but Rather to focus on What we should be!

To heal the wounds of schism and pave the way for “full communion” at least between the “three Churches” we need a new identity e.g. “The Church of the East- ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ – as well as a new vision, including the following ideas to be studied: 

1: There is an urgent need for a comprehensive and practical understanding of the desired unity, in order to direct all energies to achieve the will of Christ of having One Church. Hence, we are reminded of the joint declaration thirty years ago (on November 11, 1994), between the Roman Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East aims primarily to create a “Suitable atmosphere” to enhance the dialogue towards a full communion and a full agreement on the doctrine of faith?

2:  A distinction should be made between firm faith and morals on one hand, and the relatively moving on the other hand, which may result in discipline and administration, in addition to dealing with the contemporary culture and the Church’s commitment to clarify its teaching. 

3: The necessity of knowing a correct and comprehensive historical reasons for this division, with all its painful consequences to learn lessons, and handling it with openness, away from prior judgement.

4: The possibility of putting places of worship at the disposal of sister Churches for the actual participation in the sacraments that the Catholic Church recognize. For, there is no dogmatic issues in contradiction of unity, but the actual obstacle is historical accumulation related to authority and nationalism. 

5: Secular activists should be in charge with nationalism issues, rather than the Church of the East that embraced along the history wide variety of nations such as: Chaldean, Assyrian, Arab, Persian, Indian, Chinese and Afghan (the diocese of Hararat), which indicate that the National feeling and national name is relatively a new phenomenon. 

6: The decline of Christian population in Iraq urges us to work as one team with an evangelical zeal to confront atheists, lack of interest in practicing faith, and the scandal of ecclesiastical divisions.

In conclusion, our shared history was nothing but glory in the unity of true faith (in spite of different expressions), enabling our ancestors: clergy and lay people to carry the message of Christ around the world. 

We proudly were at that time, a Synodal Church in “walking together sharing responsibility of its mission” unlike our present stance! Therefore, we should look at unity, solidarity and joining hands, as the only solution to face current challenges.

Knowing that we are all on the same boat facing various waves.

Iraq: card. Sako (patriarca caldeo) invita i cristiani a partecipare al censimento del 20 e 21 novembre

By Agensir - Patriarcato caldeo
18 novembre 2024 

Si svolgerà il 20 e 21 novembre, dopo 27 anni, il censimento generale della popolazione dell’Iraq.
Un evento importante che ha spinto il patriarca caldeo di Baghdad, card. Louis Raphael Sako, a invitare i cristiani nel Paese a partecipare attivamente e a collaborare con i team incaricati (120mila rilevatori) di questa indagine sulla popolazione. A riguardo Mar Sako parla di “dovere nazionale” e si rammarica per “la mancata inclusione di migliaia di iracheni che vivono nei paesi vicini, tra cui centomila cristiani”. Inserirli, per il patriarca, “avrebbe aggiunto un elemento in più sull’appartenenza nazionale. La diversità è forza, non differenza. Attendiamo con impazienza – conclude il cardinale – l’accuratezza, l’onestà e l’integrità dell’équipe incaricata del censimento e dei cittadini nel fornire le informazioni corrette”.
L’ultimo censimento in Iraq risale al 1997, Saddam Hussein era al potere e l’Iraq contava una popolazione di 22 milioni di persone. Nel 2009 e nel 2020 furono indetti altri censimenti, non andati a buon fine per la violenza (2009) contro i rilevatori e il Covid. Nei giorni del 20 e 21 novembre in Iraq è stato dichiarato il coprifuoco per garantire la sicurezza degli intervistatori.

Erbil, l'aiuto dell'università cattolica ai sopravvissuti allo Stato islamico

By Vatican News

13 novembre 2024

Joseph Tulloch

Nel 2014, il cosiddetto Stato Islamico attraversò l'Iraq settentrionale, conquistando vaste aree di territorio. Una invasione che portò a sfollamenti di massa, in particolare di gruppi minoritari come cristiani, yazidi, turkmeni e shabak. Molti di loro fuggirono nella regione curda del nord-est dell'Iraq, dove – a raccontarlo è padre Karam Shahmasha, sacerdote della locale arcidiocesi caldea - la Chiesa locale nel tempo ha cercato di fornire loro alloggio, cibo e cure mediche.

La fondazione dell'Università

Queste iniziative caritatevoli – prosegue Shahmasha – hanno poi dato vita a un progetto ancora più grande: la fondazione dell'Università cattolica di Erbil (Cue), con lo scopo di divenire un “faro di luce in mezzo al caos” e con l’obiettivo di accogliere studenti di ogni provenienza, in particolare coloro che avevano sofferto di più a causa delle violenze. In un discorso del 2023, tenuto al Boston College, monsignor Bashar Warda, arcivescovo cattolico caldeo di Erbil, nonché cancelliere e presidente del consiglio di amministrazione della Cue, sottolineava che le porte della Cue erano state aperta “a coloro che sono stati maggiormente colpiti dall'ISIS: gli sfollati, i cristiani e gli yazidi... Ci impegniamo a essere una voce forte per chi è stato ferito”.

Celebrare la cultura yazida

Padre Shahmasha sottolinea il sostegno che l’Università offre agli studenti della comunità yazida, che ha subito il brutale genocidio per mano dell'Is, peggiore persino rispetto al trattamento spietato riservato ai cristiani della regione. Grazie a una serie di generosi benefattori, cattolici e non, la Cue è in grado di distribuire ogni anno numerose borse di studio agli studenti yazidi, organizza, inoltre, regolarmente eventi che celebrano la cultura yazida - come la celebrazione annuale del Capodanno yazida - e collabora con le organizzazioni che si battono per i diritti degli yazidi. Con l'aiuto della Fondazione pontificia Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre, inoltre, la Cue è in grado di assegnare ogni anno un gran numero di borse di studio ‘Papa Francesco’, destinate principalmente a studenti cristiani.

La Cue oggi

A nove anni dalla sua fondazione, l'Università vanta più di 600 studenti, provenienti da diversi contesti. Padre Shahmasha ne sottolinea la più recente iniziativa: un programma di studi orientali ospitato dal College of Arts dell'università. Programma che è primo del suo genere nella regione e che offre corsi sulla “gamma di religioni ed etnie che hanno abitato a lungo l'area mesopotamica”, con argomenti diversi come gli studi curdi, la teologia cattolica e i libri della Torah, con l’obiettivo – conclude – “di promuovere la coesistenza pacifica” tra i vari gruppi etnici e religiosi dell'Iraq, contribuendo alla “costruzione di una comunità vibrante”.

Ecumenismo con i Santi: Papa Francesco abbraccia il Patriarca assiro Mar Awa e annuncia l'inclusione di Sant'Isacco di Ninive nel Martirologio Romano

By Fides - Vatican.va - Dicastero per la promozione dell'unità dei cristiani

Un abbraccio sotto gli occhi del Cristo Risorto dipinto da Perugino e l'annuncio dell'iscrizione di uno dei Padri più venerati della tradizione siro-orientale nel Martirologio Romano. A trent'anni dalla firma della Dichiarazione cristologica comune, volta a riaffermare la comune fede in Cristo, e a quaranta dalla prima visita a Roma di un Patriarca assiro, Chiesa cattolica e Chiesa Assira d'Oriente continuano sulla strada del dialogo e della preghiera, verso il ripristino della piena e completa comunione visibile.

La Dichiarazione cristologica comune, firmata l'11 novembre 1994 da San Giovanni Paolo II e dal Catholicos Patriarca Mar Dinkha IV, ha rappresentato il tema centrale dell'incontro, avvenuto nel Palazzo Apostolico, tra Papa Francesco e Mar Awa III, Catholicos Patriarca della Chiesa Assira d’Oriente. Presenti all'incontro anche i membri della Commissione mista per il dialogo teologico tra la Chiesa cattolica e la Chiesa assira d'Oriente, istituita dalla stessa Dichiarazione e che ha recentemente avviato una nuova fase di dialogo sulla liturgia nella vita della Chiesa.

Il "grazie" del Pontefice è andato proprio ai membri della Commissione mista per il loro impegno. «Infatti, senza il vostro lavoro, questi accordi dottrinali e pastorali non sarebbero stati possibili», ha detto nel suo discorso Papa Francesco, e ha aggiunto: «Mi rallegro della pubblicazione di un libro commemorativo, con i vari documenti che segnano le tappe del nostro cammino verso la piena comunione, con prefazione comune di Vostra Santità e mia. In effetti, il dialogo teologico è indispensabile nel nostro cammino verso l’unità, giacché l’unità a cui aneliamo è unità nella fede, a condizione che il dialogo della verità non venga mai separato dal dialogo della carità e dal dialogo della vita: un dialogo umano, totale».

La piena unità nella fede, ha sottolineato il Vescovo di Roma, «è già raggiunta dai santi delle nostre Chiese. Sono loro le nostre guide migliori sulla via verso la piena comunione. Per questo, con l’accordo di Vostra Santità e del Patriarca della Chiesa Caldea, e incoraggiato anche dal recente Sinodo della Chiesa cattolica, sono lieto di annunciare che il grande Isacco di Ninive, uno dei Padri più venerati della tradizione siro-orientale, riconosciuto come un maestro e un santo da tutte le tradizioni, sarà introdotto nel Martirologio Romano».

Monaco e vescovo nella seconda metà del VII secolo, nato nell'attuale Qatar, dove visse una prima esperienza monastica, Isacco fu ordinato vescovo della antica Chiesa d'Oriente per la città di Ninive, nei pressi dell'attuale Mosul (Iraq), dal catholicos di Seleucia-Ctesifonte, Giorgio I. Dopo alcuni mesi di episcopato, chiese di ritornare alla vita monastica e si ritirò nel monastero di Rabban Shabur a Beth Huzaye (nell'attuale Iran sud-occidentale). Qui compose varie collezioni di discorsi a contenuto ascetico-spirituale che lo hanno reso celebre.

Nonostante appartenesse a una Chiesa che non era più in comunione con nessun'altra, perché non aveva accettato il Concilio di Efeso del 431, gli scritti di Isacco furono tradotti in tutte le lingue parlate dai cristiani: greco, arabo, latino, georgiano, slavo, etiope, rumeno e altre. Isacco divenne così un'importante autorità spirituale, soprattutto nei circoli monastici di tutte le tradizioni, che lo venerarono rapidamente tra i loro santi e padri.

Per la sua intercessione, ha auspicato il Papa, «i cristiani del Medio Oriente possano rendere sempre testimonianza a Cristo Risorto in quelle terre martoriate dalla guerra. E continui a fiorire l’amicizia tra le nostre Chiese, fino al giorno benedetto in cui potremo celebrare insieme sullo stesso altare e ricevere la comunione dello stesso Corpo e Sangue del Salvatore».

L'inclusione di Sant'Isacco nel Martirologio Romano, sottolinea un comunicato diffuso dal Dicastero per la Promozione dell'Unità dei Cristiani, «dimostra che la santità non si è fermata con le separazioni ed esiste al di là dei confini confessionali. Come ha dichiarato il Concilio Vaticano II: 'riconoscere le ricchezze di Cristo e le opere virtuose nella vita degli altri, i quali rendono testimonianza a Cristo talora sino all’effusione del sangue, è cosa giusta e salutare' (Unitatis Redintegratio 4)».

«Si augura» si legge ancora nel Comunicato del Dicastero «che l’inserimento nel Martirologio Romano di Isacco di Ninive, testimone del prezioso patrimonio spirituale cristiano del Medio Oriente, contribuirà alla riscoperta del suo insegnamento e all’unità di tutti i discepoli di Cristo».

Chiesa Assira d’Oriente: Patriarca Royel III dona a Sant’Egidio una croce di pietra che apparteneva alla chiesa di San Giorgio a Mosul, vandalizzata nel 2014

By AgenSIR

7 ottobre 2024

Una croce di pietra che apparteneva alla chiesa di San Giorgio a Mosul, vandalizzata nel 2014 dall’Isis è stata donata ieri sera dal patriarca della Chiesa Assira d’Oriente, Mar Awa Royel III alla Comunità di Sant’Egidio.
La croce, che reca i segni della devastazione di cui è stata oggetto, è stata posta sull’altare delle croci nella chiesa di Sant’Egidio nel quartiere di Trastevere.
 Il Patriarca, ieri sera, insieme ad una delegazione di arcivescovi e metropoliti da diverse parti del mondo, venuti a Roma per celebrare il trentesimo anniversario dell’inizio del dialogo teologico con la Chiesa cattolica, ha presieduto la preghiera serale nella basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere ed è stato salutato dal presidente della Comunità Marco Impagliazzo che ha ricordato la “lunga amicizia” che lega Sant’Egidio alla Chiesa assira, la cui storia soprattutto negli ultimi decenni è stata segnata da eventi dolorosi, a causa del succedersi di guerre, terrorismo e instabilità politica che hanno segnato in particolare la Siria e l’Iraq.
Oggi, in occasione del 30° anniversario della Dichiarazione cristologica comune tra la Chiesa cattolica e la Chiesa assira d’Oriente, dalle 17.30 alle 19.30 si terrà un Atto accademico presso l’Angelicum. Interverranno, Sua Santità Awa III, il car. Kurt Koch, la prof.ssa Theresia Hainthaler, il vescovo mons. Antoine Audo, il metropolita Mar Meelis Zaia, il vescovo Johan Bonny.

Kirkuk: la battaglia dei cristiani contro l’esproprio di beni archeologici

By Asia News - Rudaw

7 ottobre 2024

Un’antica collina nell’area di Kirkuk, in una zona “in origine terra di cristiani”, contiene tesori e patrimoni archeologici in gran parte ancora nascosti e da portare alla luce, che per questo sono finiti nel mirino di trafficanti di beni. Secondo quanto racconta il sito di informazione Rudaw, la questione riguarda un settore collinare contenente “decine di reperti e scavi ancora in gran parte da completare”, per questo gruppi attivisti locali stanno promuovendo una battaglia contro l’esproprio.

L’area al centro della contesa è vasta 23 dunam (circa 57.500 metri quadrati) e, di questi, solo il 40% è stato oggetto di lavori di scavo che hanno portato al rinvenimento di almeno 45 reperti archeologici. Un uomo d’affari locali sta manovrando per rilevare la proprietà della zona dal Dipartimento delle antichità di Kirkuk per accelerare i lavori di perforazione e scavo.

In risposta alcuni abitanti hanno intentato una battaglia legale per impedire l’esproprio, ma sinora “nessuna azione è stata intrapresa nei suoi confronti” come rivela una fonte locale.

Raed Al-Obaidi, residente nel quartiere di Al-Wasiti, racconta: “Questa è un’area archeologica, e qualcuno è venuto e ha affermato di esserne il proprietario”. In realtà, prosegue, “in origine il terreno era dei cristiani” ma questo non ha impedito di perseguire il tentativo di impossessamento.
Sulla questione interviene anche Omar Ahmed, che avanza perplessità sulle modalità di vendita “delle terre che possiedono al loro interno antichità che, in ogni parte del mondo, farebbero riferimento a una autorità a sé stante”. Un altro componente del gruppo che lotta contro l’acquisto sottolinea che “sono terre sottoposte a vincolo archeologico” e già “oltre 400 anni fa erano state recintate. Di recente - prosegue Abbas Mouloud - qualcuno è arrivato e, dopo aver demolito il muro, ha iniziato a scavare, suddividere le terre e metterle in vendita. Stiamo lottando, ma sinora non siamo riusciti a fare nulla”.

Il Comitato per la rimozione degli abusi ha registrato nei mesi scorsi una denuncia contro questo uomo di affari - la cui identità viene tenuta nascosta - che sta cercando di impossessarsi dei terreni presso l’Autorità garante di Kirkuk, ma non ha ancora ricevuto risposta. Sulla questione è intervenuto anche il governatore Rebwar Taha che conferma il rinvenimento “di manufatti sul sito collinare” e assicura di voler prendere “azioni legali” contro tentativi di esproprio.

L’archeologia costituisce un patrimonio dal grande valore economico, storico e culturale, che rappresenta il vero “oro nero” dell’Iraq come aveva dichiarato in passato il primate caldeo card. Louis Raphael Sako. Sin dai tempi in cui era arcivescovo di Kirkuk, infatti, il porporato era solito denunciare i pericoli corsi da un “bene universale” da salvaguardare da furti, traffico illegale e persino dai cambiamenti climatici, perché da solo vale “più del petrolio”. Un compito di tutti gli iracheni, non solo i cristiani, richiamato dal patriarca anche nel 2016 durante la “Conferenza internazionale per la salvaguardia del patrimonio culturale nelle aree teatro in conflitto” ad Abu Dhabi, negli Emirati Arabi Uniti (Eau).

Investing in the children of Iraqi Kurdistan

By Aid to the Church in Need (USA)

November 6, 2024

ACN supported the construction of a new floor for a kindergarten in Enishke, allowing it to expand its services, receive more children from families in the surrounding villages, including Kurds and Yazidis, and help sow the seeds of peace and fraternity for future generations.

The Enishke village is located in the Diocese of Dohuk, in a mountainous region of Iraqi Kurdistan in northern Iraq.

Christian, Kurdish, and Yazidi families live in the many settlements around Enishke, struggling to survive in a climate of economic hardship, political instability, and lingering insecurity.

The lack of resources and investment from both the regional and federal governments meant that when the local parish priest, Father Samir Yousif, visited local communities, he often found young children deprived of opportunities and a healthy upbringing. “When I was visiting families in the past, I would find the children locked up in their house,” he explained to the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

In 2013, Father Samir started a small kindergarten in Enishke, which served up to 16 children. What the Chaldean priest did not know at the time was that the whole region was about to change, with the terrorist organization ISIS taking control of much of the nearby territory in August 2014, sending a wave of Christian, Yezidi, and moderate Muslim refugees into Iraqi Kurdistan.

After the expulsion of ISIS, he realized that much more needed to be done. He made plans to build a new floor for the kindergarten, allowing it to expand its services. “Our goal is to create an educated, aware, and open generation, and also to create peaceful coexistence among Christian, Kurdish, and Yazidi children,” said Father Samir. ACN is one of the organizations supporting this project, as part of its overarching strategy to help Christians in Iraq to overcome the tragedies of the ISIS invasion, and to enable them to live in their homelands.

In July, the Chaldean Catholic Bishop of Dohuk traveled to Enishke to inaugurate the completed project, which can now take up to 100 children, directly benefiting around 90 families. During the event, Bishop Azad Shaba expressed hope that the ACN-sponsored project might serve the whole of Iraqi society and not only Christian families. “We commend the opening of this kindergarten, through the efforts of the priest and teachers in this town, and we encourage it to be open to all our Muslim brothers in the region, because it translates the teachings of Christ. Our goal is to help people in need, and by this, we do not mean just raising buildings, but to raise up people, who will have a role in constructing a future Christian society,” he said.

The project has also created jobs for local people, helping their families as well as the families whose children are attending. Father Samir told ACN that since it opened, dozens of children have already graduated from the kindergarten, moving on to other schools, where they have been commended for their academic abilities.

“With the support of our bishop, we always focus on giving value to every stage of a person’s life, but childhood and children are the most important. We have a saying: ‘In order to have a future, it is not enough to have children only,’ and for this, we must raise and educate. The best time for this is childhood. We have another saying, that ‘engraving on childhood is like engraving on stone.’”

The new floor of the kindergarten opened in July 2024 and includes three classrooms, a kitchen, sanitary facilities, and a large and well-equipped area for playing. “It is well-built and secure, to be safe for our children. We are very grateful to ACN and to all donors, and God bless you,” said Father Samir.

Warda: ‘The whole Middle East is burning”

By The Pillar

Filipe D'Avillez

November 1, 2024

Ten years ago he was on the frontline over helping over 13,000 families who fled the terrorists of ISIS and found refuge in Erbil — since then he has overseen the reconstruction of towns and villages, but has also watched tens of thousands of his faithful leave the country in search of stability and peace abroad.

In recent months, the archbishop has also been a prominent figure in an internal and unresolved dispute between the patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, and a group of bishops which includes Warda .

Warda sat down with The Pillar at the end of a recent visit to Europe, made at the invitation of Aid to the Church in Need.

The archbishop addressed briefly the burgeoning rift in the Chaldean Catholic Church, while refusing to discuss the details. But he did speak in length about the experience of Christianity in Iraq after ISIS, of the sometimes difficult relationship with Islam, of the role Christians play in the Middle East at the moment and of his hopes for a lasting peace in the Holy Land.

Ten years ago, you were already the bishop of Erbil when ISIS took Mosul and then the Nineveh Plains. What was that like?
It was a terrifying moment, with a lot of confusion, especially seeing so many people arriving with nothing to find shelter in churches, shrines, schools and centers, filled with fear, anger and tears.

It was a shocking experience, not only for us as a Church, but also for them, and for the priests and the sisters who lost all of their pastoral work.

But we quickly responded, and with other bishops, and with the priests, we worked together to face that genocide, to accompany our people, to provide them with a minimally dignified living, food, shelter and education, and we were able to get past that period.

What is the situation now?
There is no persecution now. ISIS has been defeated and Christ is victorious! This is something we are very joyful for.
But the whole of the Middle East is burning with more crises, more disputes: the Gaza war, now the south of Lebanon, more difficulties and challenges, internally displaced persons.
This sense of lack of security, that the war might escalate and reach us, and the feeling of political instability is still hanging over the region. When there is no security there is no investment, the private sector does not develop, and this leads to unemployment, which affects everybody, but being a minority, we feel all of these difficulties as a pressure on us. We have lost two thirds of the Christian presence because of all of these disputes.
In the Middle East in general, or in Iraq?
In general! 

Fifty years ago, we were 20% of the population of the Middle East, today we are talking about less than 4%. And when it comes to Iraq, in 2003 we were over 1 million, today we are 250,000, maybe even less.
Your archdiocese covers the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. Less than a century ago the Kurds actively took part in massacres of Christians, but more recently Christians found safety in Kurdistan from the ISIS onslaught. What is the situation like at the moment? Is there trust between Christians and the Kurds?

The history of Christians in the Middle East, and also in Iraq, is marked by all of this lack of trust, and there were some dark pages. When it comes specifically to the question you asked, the Kurds did commit some massacres against us. But at the moment I cannot say this is the situation.

In 2004 and 2005, when all of the sectarian strife happened in Baghdad and Mosul, and many Christians moved to the north, that was, for us, a return to our historical villages.

The Christians were welcomed and helped by the Iraqi Kurdish government, which spent hundreds of millions renovating all of these villages. The policy of the Kurdish government is to encourage more coexistence, to try and help the Christians, not just to survive but also to thrive. There is a trust which is being built and is strong, and which we need in that part of the world.

In 2003 there were some 2,000 families in Erbil, especially in the district of Ankawa. Today we are talking about 8,000 Christian families, the largest Christian gathering in the Middle East.

Those numbers show that things are different now.

In Erbil, for example, I have four schools, all of them established after 2010; a hospital – I would say one of the best — and a Catholic university, where we have Christian and Muslim students, from different nationalities. This shows us that life has changed and that these difficult pages in our history are behind us.

There has been tension between Kurdistan and the Iraqi federal government over independence and disputed territory.

How has that issue affected Christians, who live in some of these territories?

I cannot deny that there was a lack of trust and communication between Baghdad and Erbil, which resulted in more political disputes. Whenever there is a political dispute our people will suffer more, because we are a minority.

Regarding the Nineveh Plains, the southern and northern parts are Christian. This is one of the issues, among many, which is not being solved according to Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, concerning disputed areas. 

At the moment, even if the dispute is heated, there is a new atmosphere of dealing with these issues through politics, and on the ground there has been peace, and no arms were used, which is quite an achievement, because we are fully aware how many weapons there are, and God forbid they should be used stupidly, because this would affect so many people.

There are Christians who defend that there should be an independent, or at least autonomous homeland for Christians in the Middle East, possibly in the Nineveh Plains. Do you believe that could be a good idea?

Personally – and I stress this is a personal opinion – I think that before ISIS things were different. On the ground, in Nineveh alone there were around 125,000 Christians.

Today that is not the case.

I was one of the people who, at that time, said that yes, maybe we could have a more independent administration, more autonomy within federal Iraq. But today life has changed, facts on the ground have changed, and so it is not really that easy to decide. If we were to go for that project, would it benefit Christians or other parties? This is an open question. Before, things were different. Today we have maybe half of the original number. Circumstances are different and we have to reconsider according to the current situation.

Christianity in the Middle East can sometimes be more of an ethnic identity than a lived experience of faith. Is that the case in Iraq, do you feel it is changing?

One of the effects of the persecution and pressure of the past four or five decades is that the people who were most qualified, pastorally and educationally, have left the country. So many of the people who are better educated are now serving in the diaspora, and we have been left with those who, as in any community, are more concerned with their day-to-day lives.

That is why, as a Church, we are focusing on catechism and youth activities, because I believe that our strength comes from the awareness of every Christian about his Christian vocation, that is the strength of the Christians in Iraq. More catechism, and more evangelization of our community is needed.

I am on this trip to Europe at the invitation of Aid to the Church in Need, and every year they support our catechism and youth programs, and we have Radio Maria, as an instrument of education. I personally give 30 to 40 public conferences every year, focusing mainly on the Bible. And we keep publishing books, and using the media to try and evangelize, so yes, it is really an important issue, that each Christian should be aware of his or her vocation, to be a man and woman of faith, rather than just ethnicity.

Does the Church enjoy religious freedom in Iraqi Kurdistan? For example, could you accept a convert from Islam in your Church?

One of the facts that we have to be fully aware of is that once you live in the land of Islam, there is no freedom of religion, though there is a freedom of worship.

The Iraqi constitution is based on Islamic Shariah, which means that evangelization outside the Christian community is forbidden. We have 1,400 years of dialogue of life with Islam, and we know that we cannot do that. We sometimes hear reports that there is no freedom of religion in this part of the world, but where is the surprise? This is something that we know as Christians. We cannot [convert Muslims], because that would be endangering the lives of the Muslims seeking baptism, or endangering the Christian community.

If someone comes and asks about the Church, about Christianity, it is our duty to respond. But baptism? That would be the person’s choice, but they cannot do that in an Islamic country. It is simply forbidden. The world has to understand that this is the fact.

For Muslims, Judaism and Christianity are just steps on the way to Islam, because Islam is the honorable religion of God. That is why they treat us as a “People of the Book”, with some tolerance, but evangelization means that you are waging war against Islam.

In a recent conference hosted by ACN you said you have yet to hear an apology from Muslim leaders for the persecution carried out by ISIS. Is that really necessary?

An apology is needed. Not for us, but for them, for their young people, for their future generation, to tell their young people that some Muslims committed crimes against humanity in the name of God, in the name of Islam. I am always urging my brothers, the Imams, to think deeply about this, it is not an act of weakness! It is for the future Muslim generation, to prevent their young people from going in that direction, because the temptation is always there.

You mentioned that two-thirds of Christians have left Iraq. When young Christians tell you they are planning to leave, what do you say to them?

This is one of the most difficult questions we are asked. Usually this person will have reasons: no job, for example, or concern about the future of the Middle East, another war, or economic difficulty, the future of one’s family. It is very difficult... I always say that I know that migration is a right, I cannot stop that, because it is a right to try and find a dignified life wherever one wishes. But I tell them to be careful not to be smuggled, not to pay, and not to become victims of people who would use them as a means to commit crimes.

And sometimes we can help with finding a [local] job. Through our schools, our hospitals, the NGO that we have, the radio station, we have over 830 jobs. It is just a contribution, but thanks to all the donors and benefactors, the Church can really be part of the solution.

If they tell me they want to leave because everyone else is leaving, then I will encourage them to stay, but if there are other issues, I’ll say “think twice before you leave, but I cannot decide for you”.

As we know, the Chaldean Church has been embroiled in controversy over the past years. Part of that controversy appears to be a campaign against Patriarch Sako, which led to the president of Iraq revoking a decree which recognizes him as head of the Chaldean community. He has accused Rayan al-Kildani, the Christian leader of the Babylon Brigades militia, of being behind this, and there have been charges that you are close to al-Kildani. Is this true?

I am not a politician, I am a bishop, and as such my door is open to everyone.

Of course, it should be said that Rayan al-Kildani works in Baghdad, not in Erbil, politically he is completely outside of my region.

But people should know that I have welcomed, and will welcome, anyone, because the role of the Church is to be a bridge of peace and reconciliation. Throughout history, and especially recent history, the Catholic Church has played a role in really creating an atmosphere of reconciliation, and as far as I know there was no Vatican decree listing names of people the Church cannot deal with internationally or locally.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the door of the office is open, people can come without appointments. They don't need an appointment to see me. If I am there, I will see them immediately.

If a person or a group is acting in a wrong way, then I have to be able to say so. But if I shut the door, then to whom would I say it? If they did anything wrong, I have the right to say that what is happening is wrong.

The Pillar has reported on a dispute between you and the patriarch. This reached its height, at least publicly, when you refused to attend the most recent synod of Chaldean bishops, and the patriarch threatened ecclesiastical sanctions. Is that a decision that you regret?
This was an internal Church matter; it was not supposed to become public.

Disputes among brothers happen all the time.

The patriarch is the head of the Chaldean Church, he has our full respect, we pray for him and for the Pope every day, in every mass.

I would just say that these things happened in the Church and we don't need to make a big case of it, just leave it to the Church and it will be solved.

But do you think that that dispute has damaged the image of the Chaldean Church?

I don't think so. The Chaldean Church, with Patriarch Sako, is strong. The patriarch’s voice is loud and clear when it comes to speaking about Iraq in general, and we have to give him credit for that.

He sometimes even puts the interests of Iraq above the interests of the Christians, because his aim is to help Iraq and all Iraqis, but when it comes to Christian issues, he has also been a strong voice around the world for the protection of the persecuted and oppressed Iraqi Christians.

What is your hope for the Christian community in Iraq in another ten years?

My hope right now is that the war in Gaza and Lebanon should stop, that the violence should end, and to give time and space for a just political solution that might really last, not just something temporary.

My hope for the Christians in Iraq – and I will be working with all the bishops and Church leaders to this end – is how to make this community thrive, how to make it influential in Iraq, and to be the voice of Christ in Iraq.

Our Muslim brothers and sisters tell us that we are the salt of the earth. When we ask them if they read that in the Gospel, they say no, it is that we are truthful, honest, responsible, committed, decent, peaceful, and that we need these values, because without them no community can be sustained. We thank God that we have this mission, not just that we have these values. And when we say that we have this mission we mean that God wants us there to carry on this mission of kindness, gentleness, peacefulness, truth, honesty, and to spread them there. The goal is to be the voice of Christ.

You visited Europe at the invitation of ACN. How important are NGO such as that in supporting the Church in your diocese? ACN were the hand of mercy, the hand of God.

I should also mention others, like the Knights of Columbus, bishops’ conferences, the Chaldeans in the diaspora, all of those, but especially ACN, because they have been working with us for so many years. Just since 2013 the reports show that they raised around $60 million for the region, not just Erbil, but in general, over the time of displacement and of the rebuilding of these villages. Without them, we would probably be telling a different story today.