The Patriarch of the Chaldean Church, Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, has called for Christian unity in the face of Iraq’s current challenges.
"Even if we are facing different waves, we are all in the same boat," said the patriarch, calling on four Eastern Churches in Iraq to remember their common heritage.
"Unity is the only solution to face the current challenges," he said, in an appeal published through the official communication channels of the Chaldean Patriarchate.
The Chaldean Catholic Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Ancient Eastern Church, and the Assyrian Protestant Evangelical Church all can trace their lineage back to what is known as the Church of the East.
That Church was one of three major branches of Nicene Eastern Christianity that arose from the Christological controversies in the 5th and 6th centuries.
With origins in Mesopotamia during the time of the Parthian Empire, the Church of the East developed its own unique form of Christian theology and liturgy.
“In the profession of its faith,” said Cardinal Sako, “the Church of the East continues for centuries and to this day, to pray, despite the divisions: ‘I believe in One, Holy, Catholic (i.e. universal) and Apostolic Church,’ because it is essentially one.”
The Chaldean patriarch urged those of the various Churches in Iraq to recognize their common history, tradition, art, language and liturgy. “They are close to each other, living in the same geographical area,” he said.
Unity, he noted, "is not a return to what we were, but a focus on what we should be."
6 Study ideas
Toward that end, he proposed six "ideas for study" for a "new vision" of the Church of the East:
- There needs to be a “comprehensive and practical understanding of the unity sought,” in order to “direct all energies towards the realization of Christ's will to have one Church." He recalled the joint declaration of the Roman Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East 30 years ago, which aimed to create a "suitable environment" to strengthen dialogue "on the path to full communion and full agreement in the doctrine of the faith," he said.
- Christians in Iraq should remember that there needs to be unity in beliefs, not necessarily in disciplinary aspects or liturgical traditions of their respective Churches.
- He continued: "It is necessary to know the just and complete historical reasons for this division, with all its painful consequences," in order to approach the issue "with openness" and "far from preconceived judgments."
- Churches should be open to members of other ecclesial groups that have emerged from the Ancient Church of the East, "so that they can participate effectively in the sacraments recognized by the Catholic Church."
- The laity should not be guided by ethnic and nationalist identification.
- They should also reflect on the "decline of the Christian population in Iraq."
In its 2024 Annual Report, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that the U.S. Department of State include Iraq on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act.
USCIRF has consistently highlighted the ongoing aftereffects of ISIS’s genocide. In December 2023, the Commission held a hearing on Religious Minorities and Governance in Iraq. In August 2024, on the 10th anniversary of ISIS’s launch of the genocide, a USCIRF Spotlight podcast series featured religious minority genocide survivors and former U.S. officials.
