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Louis Raphaël I Sako

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Louis Raphaël I Sako (Arabic: لويس روفائيل ساكو;[1] born 4 July 1948) is a Chaldean Catholic prelate who has served as Patriarch of Baghdad since 1 February 2013. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018.

His Eminence Mar

  • Louis Raphaël I Sako
  • ܠܘܝܣ ܪܘܦܐܝܠ ܩܕܡܝܐ ܣܟܘ
  • لويس روفائيل ساكو[1]
Cardinal, Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans
Sako in 2015
ChurchChaldean Catholic Church
SeeChaldean Catholic Patriarchate
Elected31 January 2013
PredecessorEmmanuel III Delly
Other post(s)
  • Chaldean Archbishop of Baghdad (2013–)
Previous post(s)
  • Archbishop of Kerkūk (2002–13)
  • Apostolic Administrator of Sulaimaniya (2010–13)
Orders
Ordination1 June 1974
Consecration14 November 2003
by André Sana
Created cardinal28 June 2018
by Pope Francis
RankCardinal-Bishop
Personal details
Born
Louis Sako

(1948-07-04) 4 July 1948 (age 76)
Zakho, Iraq
DenominationChaldean Catholic
ResidenceIraqi Kurdistan
Alma mater
Coat of arms
Ordination history
History
Priestly ordination
Date1 June 1974
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecratorAndré Sana
Co-consecratorsShlemon Warduni,
Paulos Faraj Rahho
Date14 November 2003
Cardinalate
Elevated byPope Francis
Date28 June 2018

In 2023, amid an ongoing dispute with the Iraqi government, he announced he would leave Baghdad for Iraqi Kurdistan. He returned to Baghdad in 2024 after reconciling with the Iraqi government.

Biography

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Early life

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Sako was born in the city of Zakho, Iraq, on 4 July 1948.[2] He comes from an ethnic Assyrian family of the Chaldean Catholic Church that has roots in a religious community that has had a presence in the city of his birth since the 5th century AD.[3]

He completed his early studies in Mosul and then attended the Dominican-run Saint Jean’s Seminary there. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1974 and filled his first pastoral assignment at the Cathedral of Mosul until 1979. He then earned a doctorate in Eastern patrology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. When denied a license to teach because he was only qualified for religious instruction, he earned a second doctorate in history from the Sorbonne in Paris. With this he secured his teaching license and was able to provide religious instruction. From 1997 to 2002 he was rector of the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He then returned to Mosul and guided the parish of Perpetual Help for a year.[4][5]

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

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A synod of the bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church meeting in Baghdad elected Sako Archeparch of Kirkuk on 24 October 2002. Pope John Paul II gave his assent on 27 September 2003.[6] He received his episcopal consecration on 14 November 2003 from his predecessor in Kirkuk, André Sana.[7]

In August 2009, and at the beginning of Ramadan, Sako organized an appeal for national peace, reconciliation and end to violence on the part of more than fifty religious leaders in Kirkuk. He called it "a gesture of closeness to our Muslim brothers. We are all brothers, sons of the same God we must respect and cooperate for the good of the people and our country." The participants included representatives of Ali Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr.[8]

Patriarch

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The Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church, convoked in Rome on 28 January 2013, elected Sako to succeed Emmanuel III Delly as Patriarch of Babylon. He chose Louis Raphael I as his regnal name. Pope Benedict XVI gave his assent to the election on 1 February[2] and granted him ecclesiastica communio (ecclesiastical communion) as required by the canon law for Eastern-rite Catholic churches in recognition of their unity with the wider Catholic church.[9]

That same year, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani issued a decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church.[10]

In July 2014 Sako led a wave of condemnation for the Sunni Islamists who demanded Christians either convert, submit to their radical rule and pay a religious levy or face death by the sword.[11] In September 2014 Sako said “The U.S. is indirectly responsible for what is going on in Iraq as it said it would ensure democracy and the well-being of the people, but 10 years have passed and on the contrary we have gone backward." He was responding to a question following remarks attributed to him in the local daily Ad-Diyar in which he accused the U.S. of supporting ISIS. Sako had also criticized Muslim countries for lack of support: "Our Muslim neighbours did not help us." He urged Muslim preachers to issue a religious ruling against the killing of all innocent people and said that "Issuing a fatwa preventing Muslims from killing fellow Muslims is not enough."[12]

In 2014, Sako ordered ten priests who had fled Iraq to return there by 22 October; he suspended them when they failed to comply. The priests, all living in the United States, some for as long as twenty years, appealed to Pope Francis for relief from the order.[13] In January 2015, Pope Francis granted them permission to remain in the United States.[14] Sako later renewed his order despite the pope's decision.[15]

In 2015, Sako proposed a "merger" or reunion of his own Chaldean Catholic Church with the Ancient Church of the East and the Assyrian Church of the East to create one united "Church of the East" with a single patriarch in union with the pope. His proposal would have required both his own resignation and that of Mar Addai II, followed by a joint synod of the bishops of all three churches to elect a new patriarch for the reunited Church of the East. (The patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East was vacant at the time, following the death of Mar Dinkha IV.)[16] He wrote that "Unity does not mean uniformity, nor the melting of our own church identity into one style, but it maintains unity in diversity and we remain one apostolic universal church, the Oriental Church, that maintains its independence of administration, laws and liturgies, traditions and support."[17] The Assyrian Church of the East respectfully declined this proposal citing "ecclesiological divergences still remaining" and proceeded with its election of a new patriarch.[18]

On 14 November 2015, the Synod of Bishops announced that Pope Francis had named Sako as one of his three appointments to that body's council.[19]

Cardinal

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Pope Francis made Sako a cardinal in a consistory on 28 June 2018.[20] Later that year, Pope Francis named him one of the four cardinals to preside over sessions of the Synod of Bishops on Youth in October.[21]

On 6 October 2018 Sako was named a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches,[22] on 22 February 2019 a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,[23] and on 29 September 2021 a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.[24] On 4 January 2022, Pope Francis made him a member of the Council for the Economy.[25]

Government recognition dispute

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On 15 July 2023, Iraq's President Abdul Latif Rashid announced the revocation of the government's 2013 decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch. In response that same day Sako announced he was leaving Baghdad to take up residence in Iraqi Kurdistan. He called the revocation "unprecedented in the history of Iraq".[10] Rashid said his action "does not affect the religious or legal status of patriarch Sako" and said it was based on the fact that Sako's office is not recognized by the Iraqi Constitution; Sako viewed as an extension of the government's ongoing "deliberate and humiliating campaign" against him and its wider failure to protect Iraqi Christians.[26] Rashid had recently rejected requests for comparable decrees from the Patriarchs of the Assyrian Church and the Old Assyrian Church. Others cited complex political manoeuvering.[27]

On 15 July 2023, Sako announced his intention to “retire from the Patriarchal See in Baghdad and move to a church, a mission, in one of the monasteries of Iraqi Kurdistan". His announcement followed a decision by the President of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid, to revoke a decree established in 2013 by the previous head of state, Jalal Talabani, recognising Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. The revocation "is unprecedented in Iraq's history," Sako said, highlighting "the government's silence" about the incident and the suffering of the Christian community.[28] For months, Sako had been embroiled in a war of words with a Shia lawmaker and militia leader, Rayan al-Kildani. Both accused each other of exploiting their influence to illegally seize Christian-owned properties. Al Kildani is the leader of the Babylon Movement, whose militia fought ISIS within the state-linked Popular Mobilisation Forces, a network of largely pro-Iran paramilitaries. Since then, he forged strong alliances with powerful Tehran-allied Shiite militias.[29] In 2019, the US imposed sanctions on Al Kildani and another Shiite militia leader, calling them "perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption".[30]

On 7 August 2023, Sako told an interviewer that "Withdrawing the decree is very bad. For 15 centuries, there were decrees recognising the Patriarch as head of the Church and administrator of the properties of the Church. Revoking it is a humiliation for the Church. Those behind this move want to put their hands on the properties of the Church and administer them separately from the ecclesiastical authorities. We cannot accept that."[31]

In April 2024, after nine months of exile, Sako returned to Baghdad with the assistance of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani.[32][33]

On 28 August 2024, Sako demanded apology from five bishops based on perceived disunity in the Eastern Catholic Church, including absence from a July episcopal synod, setting a deadline of September 5. He would suspended them and ask Pope Francis to impose canonical penalties, including excommunication.[34]

Honours

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Milad, Fathy (22 September 2021). "جريمةُ القتلِ المأساوية بين أول أخوين : قايين وهابيل "الإجهاضُ قتلٌ على طريقةِ قايين"". Catholic Church in Egypt (in Arabic). Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Dalle Chiese Orientali" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  3. ^ Chabot, "Synodicon orientale", 676
  4. ^ "Sako Card. Louis Raphaël I". Sala Stampa della Santa Sede. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  5. ^ "New Patriarch outwitted Saddam". The Tablet. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  6. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 27.09.2003" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Patriarch Louis Raphaël I Sako". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  8. ^ Gheddo, Piero (29 August 2009). "In Kirkuk Christian and Muslim leaders for dialogue and reconciliation". Asia News. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  9. ^ "Lettera del Santo Padre al Nuovo Patriarca di Babilonia dei Caldei per la Concessione dell'Ecclesiastica Communio, 03.02.2013" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  10. ^ a b "El Patriarca Sako anuncia su traslado al Kurdistán". Vatican News (in Italian). 17 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Iraq Catholic leader says Islamic State worse than Genghis Khan". Reuters. 20 July 2014. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020.
  12. ^ "In Kirkuk Christian and Muslim leaders for dialogue and reconciliation". The Daily Star. 29 August 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  13. ^ Schiffer, Kathy (24 October 2014). "Chaldean Priests Forced to Choose Between Disobedience and Martyrdom". Aletaia. Archived from the original on 5 May 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  14. ^ Popescu, Roxana (8 January 2015). "Pope to El Cajon priest: stay put". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  15. ^ "Chaldean patriarch defies pope, orders priests back to Iraq". XETV San Diego 6. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  16. ^ "Chaldean Patriarch gambles on re-establishing 'Church of the East'". La Stampa. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  17. ^ "The Unity of the Church of the East". Chaldean Patriarchate of Babylon. 25 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Assyrian Bishop Mar Awa Royel Replies to the Unity offer by Chaldean Catholic Patriarch - News | Orthodoxy Cognate PAGE". theorthodoxchurch.info. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017.
  19. ^ "Comunicato della Segreteria Generale del Sinodo dei Vescovi, 14.11.2015" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 14 November 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  20. ^ D'Emilio, Frances. "Pope, making new cardinals, hears Iraqi tell of martyrs". Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  21. ^ Arocho Esteves, Junno (16 July 2018). "Pope nominates presidents-delegate for upcoming Synod of Bishops". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 06.10.2018" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 22.02.2019" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 22 February 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  24. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 29.09.2021" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 04.01.2022" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Iraq. Il patriarca caldeo si trasferisce in Kurdistan per protesta contro il governo". Faro di Roma (in Italian). 17 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  27. ^ Gavlak, Dale (17 July 2023). "Iraq's Catholic cardinal leaves Baghdad after president revokes decree recognizing church's authority". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  28. ^ "Patriarch Sako announces move to Kurdistan". Vatican News. 17 July 2023.
  29. ^ "Head of Catholic Church in Iraq leaves Baghdad amid heightened tension with militia leader". The National (UAE). 16 July 2023.
  30. ^ "US imposes sanctions on Iranian-linked militia leaders in Iraq". The National (UAE). 18 July 2019.
  31. ^ ACN (7 August 2023). "Patriarch: President's decree reversal is a 'humiliation for the Church'". ACN International. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  32. ^ "Cardinal Louis Sako returns to Baghdad". Iraqi News. 14 April 2024.
  33. ^ "Why did Cardinal Sako return to Baghdad?". Pillar Catholic. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  34. ^ "At deadline, Chaldean bishops not planning apology". The Pillar. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
 
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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Kirkuk
2003–2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Patriarch of Babylon
of the Chaldeans
2013–present 		Incumbent
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