Chaldean bishops will convene in Rome April 9–15 to elect a successor to Cardinal Sako, marking a turning point for the ancient Mesopotamian Church.
Newsroom (20/03/2026 Gaudium Press ) The Chaldean Catholic Church, one of the world’s oldest Eastern Christian communities, will gather in Rome from April 9 to 15 to elect a successor to Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, who resigned from the Patriarchate on March 10. The announcement, made through the Chaldean Patriarchate’s official website, places the ancient Church once rooted in Mesopotamia at a historical crossroads. The outgoing patriarch has chosen not to attend the Synod or cast a vote, a gesture he describes as an act of humility meant to “avoid influencing” the selection of his successor.
While the physical setting of the Synod shifts from Baghdad to Rome, the stakes remain uniquely Iraqi: the survival of a community enduring decades of war, exodus, and internal strain. Between April 9 and 15, the Chaldean bishops—representing dioceses across Iraq, the Middle East, North America, and Europe—will gather to decide who will lead a Church that, despite being in full communion with the Vatican, retains its own liturgy, hierarchy, and spiritual identity.
A Legacy of Conflict and Renewal
For more than a decade, Cardinal Sako has stood as both a spiritual and political figurehead of a Church scarred by violence and displacement. His leadership began in 2013 and was later affirmed when Pope Francis elevated him to the rank of cardinal in 2018. Yet his tenure has unfolded alongside Iraq’s turbulent chapters: the rise of ISIS in 2014, repeated assaults on Christian communities, and the slow bleed of the diaspora that has left fewer than half of Iraq’s pre‑2003 Christian population still living in their ancestral homeland.
At 77, Cardinal Sako’s departure does not follow the traditional trajectory of aging patriarchs stepping down for health reasons. Instead, it reflects an institution seeking renewal at a moment of deep fatigue. “I prefer to pray and live in peace, serenity, and joy,” the cardinal said, announcing his plan to retire in Erbil, the Kurdistan capital that became a safe haven for Iraq’s Christians after the fall of Mosul in 2014. Still, his potential relocation to the north carries risk, as recent Iranian retaliatory strikes have destabilized much of the region.
An Ancient Church Amid Modern Turmoil
In the interim, daily affairs of the Patriarchate have been entrusted to Archbishop Habib Hrmuz Al‑Naufali of Basra, the senior member of the Synod under Eastern Canon Law. His role now includes guiding deliberations that will decide the next patriarch—an appointment critical not only for Iraq’s Christians but also for maintaining ties with the Holy See.
The Chaldean Catholic Church descends from the early Church of the East, tracing its spiritual origins to the apostles’ disciples Mar Addai and Mar Mari. Today, it stands as one of four churches that claim this heritage, alongside the Assyrian Church of the East, the Ancient Assyrian Church, and the Syro‑Malabar Church of India. Its liturgical identity—vivid with Aramaic chants and the Eucharistic legacy of the East—was a hallmark of Sako’s tenure, which sought both modernization and preservation.
With more than 600,000 faithful worldwide, the Chaldean Church remains strongest in Iraq, though its diaspora stretches across North America, northern Europe, and Australia. Yet, since 2003, emigration and persecution have steadily eroded its ranks. The U.S. invasion unleashed sectarian violence, and between 2007 and 2008, two of the Chaldean hierarchy’s most respected figures—Fr. Ragheed Ganni and Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho—were assassinated in Mosul. The community’s survival was further threatened in 2014 when ISIS militants declared their short‑lived “caliphate” and drove thousands of Christians from Nineveh Plain.
Political Tensions and Ecclesial Strains
The Church’s relationship with the Iraqi state has also been fraught. In summer 2023, President Abdul Latif Rashid revoked a presidential decree that formally recognized Cardinal Sako as head of the Chaldean Church and steward of its properties—a move widely seen as politically motivated. The revocation ignited a confrontation with Rayan al‑Kildani, leader of the Babylon Brigades, a militia claiming to represent Iraqi Christians while maintaining ties to pro‑Iranian factions. The resulting clash forced Sako to shift the patriarchal seat to Erbil for several months until Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al‑Sudani reinstated his authority by decree in April 2024.
Despite this eventual resolution, the division lingered. When the patriarch convened a Synod last year, several bishops boycotted the meeting—an unprecedented act that underscored how internal dissent had taken root. The recent arrest of Bishop Emmanuel H. Shaleta of San Diego on alleged corruption charges only added to the upheaval, casting a shadow over the Church’s unity ahead of the coming election.
A Defining Test for the Next Patriarch
Whoever emerges as the new Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans will inherit not only a venerable institution but also a fractured landscape. The new primate will face a sweeping agenda: restoring trust among bishops, strengthening ties with the Vatican, rebuilding Christian presence in Iraq, and revitalizing the diaspora’s connection to its Mesopotamian roots. Another pressing matter will be the appointment of a new bishop for the vacant see of Alqosh, following the death of Bishop Paulo Thabet Mekko in June 2025.
The Chaldean Synod’s decision, coming just after the Easter celebrations, may therefore resonate far beyond ecclesiastical boundaries. It will mark a moment of reckoning for a Church that has withstood centuries of persecution, yet now must navigate modern crises of identity, authority, and survival.
For now, Cardinal Sako watches from the sidelines—his silence a testament to a leader who knows that, sometimes, the most powerful act of faith is to let go.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Asianews.it
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