After spending several months in Erbil, the cardinal returned to the patriarchal headquarters in the Iraqi capital. He had moved voluntarily when the decree of the President of the Republic that recognized patriarchal authority was withdrawn. The controversy was (also) due to the maneuvers of militias and self-proclaimed Christian leaders who intend to take over the properties and assets of the Church. Joy and satisfaction of Iraqi Christians (and Muslim leaders) on social networks.
Baghdad () – A holiday for Iraqi Christians and especially for the Chaldean community in the capital. Yesterday afternoon ended, at least for the moment, the self-imposed exile of Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako, who had left the patriarchal see of Baghdad in July to move temporarily – but without a return date – to Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan. It was a sudden decision that caused a great stir, caused by the decision of Head of State Abdul Latif Rashid to withdraw the presidential decree issued by his predecessor that conferred on him the authority – also and above all at the legal level – of patriarch.
Decree 147 signed on July 10, 2013 by Jalal Talabani can be equated to a kind of “institutional recognition” of the office of primate. It sanctions the pontifical appointment of the cardinal as head of the Chaldean Church “in Iraq and in the world”, which also makes him “responsible for the assets of the Church.” Precisely at this point, as he explained to A few months ago, an ecclesiastical source from Iraq, the whole issue was at stake: the control of the assets and properties of Christians and the Church had become the objective of the self-proclaimed Christian leader Rayan the Chaldean and his militias linked to Iran that operate on the Nineveh plain.
The cardinal denounced a “deliberate and humiliating” campaign, and temporarily moved the patriarchal headquarters from the capital to Erbil as a way to forcefully protest against a decision that concerns “only the Chaldean Church” and that is “the underlying issue.” “, as the cardinal himself denounced. President Rashid's disposition undermined his role and authority, ignoring a centuries-old tradition to attack the highest local Catholic authority, who is also responsible for the management of the patrimony and assets of the Church. The power struggle unleashed by Rayan and his militiamen – a diverse galaxy that includes Shiites, Christians and Sunnis – poses a serious threat to peace and coexistence. The self-proclaimed leader spread photographs and videos with Pope Francis at the end of a Wednesday general audience and used the pontiff's image on his social channels to claim a non-existent moral and religious authority.
In an interview granted to A few weeks ago, Card. Sako stated that the decision to withdraw the decree was a “moral assassination” and the transfer of the patriarchal seat to Erbil an “extreme protest”, while raising the possibility of boycotting the elections. “I will only return to Baghdad,” he stated, “when the measure is reversed. Our Church has given a lot to Iraq, from the Pope's visit to humanitarian aid to Muslims in the times of ISIS, even more than that reserved for Christians. Today, the gratitude of the institutions is to punish the patriarch and an entire community.” The cardinal also did not spare criticism regarding Rome's “silence” on the matter, although Vatican diplomacy stated that it was following him closely and working behind the scenes to find a “solution” to the controversy for the “good” of the Iraqi Christian community.
In the last hours there was a turning point and the cardinal returned to Baghdad accompanied by Mons. Thomas Meram. Upon his arrival at the airport he was received in the hall of honor by the prime minister and then transferred to the patriarchal headquarters escorted by a motorcade. There he was welcomed by the auxiliary of Baghdad, Bishop Basilio Yaldo, Bishop Shlemon Warduni, the priests and the staff of the headquarters, and throughout the morning he held a series of meetings with various authorities. Meanwhile, the news spread on social networks and provoked enthusiastic comments from hundreds of Iraqi Catholics, many of them on the social pages of the patriarchate: “You are the symbol of our Church,” says Yousif Awnie Khadoor. “Thank God that he has returned safely to his headquarters,” adds Raeed Aessa, while Manhal Alsanati expresses the feelings of “pride and gratitude” with which “we welcome him back home. A return that reinforces the spirit of belonging and unity”; “We thank you for the positions you have taken and the efforts you are making for the Church and the faithful,” says Adnan A. Mansor Koro, while Amanj Nissan comments: “God opens a door to resolve all the stagnant issues, and the water returns to its natural channel.
Representatives of the Iraqi political and institutional sphere also expressed their satisfaction, including Ayatollah Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. In a message spread on social networks, the Shiite leader states: “We are very satisfied with the return” of the patriarch and “while we welcome him, we hope that all pending differences will be resolved,” later expressing “our great pride for Christian families” that complete the Iraqi mosaic.
(Photos taken from the Chaldean Patriarchate website)
