ROME – At the close of their annual synod meeting, the Chaldean bishops called on the Iraqi government to do more to protect Christians and their rights as citizens, and they called for a two-state solution to end the Israel-Hamas war.
In a statement issued at the close of their annual synod, the Chaldean Patriarchate of Babylon expressed “deep concern about the international conflicts and wars taking place in the Middle East, especially the Holy Land.”
During the synod discussion, bishops, the statement said, “condemned violence in all its forms” and called on the international community “to protect and affirm peace always, by making a decision to end the destructive war” on people and infrastructure “immediately.”
“They believe that the best solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is to establish two neighboring states that live in peace, security, stability, and mutual trust,” they said.
Currently, the Gaza war, sparked with Israel’s retaliation for an Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack by Hamas that left
1,200 Israelis dead and over 250 others taken as hostages, is nearly in its tenth month, with more than 30,000 estimated victims in Palestine, mostly civilians.
The war is having regional repercussions, and surrounding countries are getting increasingly pulled into the conflict, especially as tensions continue to rise between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, fueling fears that another war between Israel and Lebanon could soon erupt.
Many, including Pope Francis and his top aides, have consistently advocated for the two-state solution as a means not only of ending the current war, but achieving a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine and bringing one of the world’s most longstanding conflicts to an end.
The Chaldean Catholic Church, headquartered in Baghdad, held its annual synod meeting in the city from July 15-19, with Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, presiding.
Prior to the event, participants sent Pope Francis a letter asking for his blessing and prayers for a fruitful discussion and for the wellbeing of both the Chaldean church, and Iraq.
According to the July 19 statement published by the Chaldean Patriarchate, the discussion unfolded in “an atmosphere of familiarity, democracy, and fellowship,” with the bishops and patriarchs who participated touching on a variety of issues.
In addition to the Gaza war, the bishops also expressed gratitude to Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani for recent decisions he has made.
Al-Sudani, who has served as Prime Minister since October 2022, earlier this summer formally reinstating Sako as the Chaldean Patriarch in Iraq and the world, after Iraqi President Adul Latif Rashid last summer withdrew a decree recognizing Sako as patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq, allegedly on grounds that the decree held no constitutional or legal basis.
The move effectively ended the institutional recognition of Sako’s office, meaning, among other things, that he would be unable to administer the Church’s assets, competence for which would fall within the purview of the state.
After that decision, Sako relocated from Baghdad to Erbil and alleged that he was the victim of a smear campaign and accused the government of seeking to gain control of the Chaldean Church’s money and property.
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Signed June 5, Al-Sudani’s letter officially designated Sako as Chaldean patriarch in Iraq, based on the national constitution and a court ruling in 2013.
In their July 19 statement, the Chaldean Patriarchate voiced gratitude for the “courageous initiative” Al-Sudani showed by again recognizing Sako as patriarch at the institutional level.
The bishops during the synod meeting, it said, voiced hope that the Iraqi government and individual political parties would “take concrete steps in building peace and stability by implementing law and justice.”
The bishops, who have long charged that Christians are treated as second-class citizens, also called on the government to restore national unity amid political tensions, and to strengthen “the concept of citizenship.”
It is also necessary to provide “adequate public services to ensure a decent life for all citizens,” they said, and urged that priority be given “to Iraqi people interests rather than that of any ‘limited’ sectarian interests.”
Sako and other synod participants invited Al-Sudani to hold a conversation with them on Thursday, July 18, an invitation Al-Sudani accepted.
According to the patriarchate, the meeting with Al-Sudani was “a friendly conversation about the general national concern of Christians.”
The bishops also lamented what they said was the “agony of Christians” in Iraq, saying families whose ancestral roots go back generations “have suffered a lot in the past two decades from the deprivation of their rights, marginalization, exclusion, and the acquisition of their property and assets.”
Many people have been forced “to emigrate searching for a better environment” as a result of the difficult situation, the bishops said, and asked the government to be “fair” to Christians.
To this end, they called on the government to promote Christians through “building confidence, enhancing national cooperation, and benefiting from their skills in developing this country.”
“We also demand that their rights be fully respected as citizens with equal representation and employment, and we refuse the seizure of their properties through the ‘exclusivity’ of any political party,” they said.
In terms of the future of Eastern Christians, the bishops during the synod insisted that faith ought to be what unites the various Christian rites and churches in the country and the region.
“We are committed to each other and to our common destiny with other citizens of the regional countries; concerning about public issues, citizen’s worries, rights and requirements for a decent life,” the bishops said.
They voiced sympathy with the bishops of neighboring countries struggling due to war or poverty, saying the church must develop “a new vision about the future.”
“We need courageous practical steps, to stabilize Christians in their land, preserving their identity, also to enhance their role and presence,” the bishops said, saying, “Unity is our strength and salvation.”
Regardless of the suffering Eastern Christians have endured, they said, “we continue to love our countries and our citizens, and we would like to cooperate with them in spreading a culture of coexistence, respecting the differences of others, and consolidating hope, within a fair and civil society.”
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