New Chaldean Patriarch tells Iraqi Christians: “Your presence is a mission”

In a message to Paul III Nona, ACN’s executive president recalled the sufferings of the Chaldean faithful in Iraq, who “have been so often called to bear witness to their Christian faith in times of persecution and suffering.”

The new Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church was officially installed on Friday, May 29, during a solemn ceremony in the Cathedral of St. Joseph, Baghdad, Iraq.

Leaders of other Christian Churches, representatives from the Vatican, and Iraqi government figures were in attendance at the installation of Patriarch Paul III Nona, who was elected by the Holy Synod of the Chaldean Church, the largest Christian Church in Iraq and one of 23 Eastern Churches in full communion with Rome.

Speaking to the assembled crowd, the Patriarch did not hide the difficult reality that many Iraqi Christians have chosen to leave the country over the past decades. He said both those who remain in Iraq and those in the diaspora have an important mission.

“The existence and continuity of our Chaldean Church in the East, and most especially in Iraq, are essential and foundational for our perseverance as a Church and as an ancient people with a deep-rooted history and civilization,” the Patriarch said, in a written homily shared with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

But those who have left in search of safety and stability should also “look upon your presence in these lands as a mission. You are sent to reaffirm the importance and the power of faith in societies that are all too ready to lose it.”

Patriarch Paul, 58, is familiar with both sides of this divide. Until 2014, he was the Archbishop of Mosul, but had to flee, along with the entire Christian community, when the region was overrun by the Islamic State. He then spent several years ministering to the Chaldean diaspora in Australia and New Zealand.

As archbishop in Mosul, he was already a project partner of ACN, and the pontifical foundation has been working closely with the Chaldean Church over the years, helping to sustain it through its darkest hours in Iraq.

Regina Lynch, executive president of ACN, wrote a letter of congratulations to the new Patriarch, saying that his election “must surely be a source of hope and strength for your Chaldean faithful, who in the history of their Church have been so often called to bear witness to their Christian faith in times of persecution and suffering.”

Fear versus faith

Speaking during his enthronement liturgy to the leaders of other Christian Churches in Iraq, the Patriarch said that “the existence of Churches with differing traditions is a richness and not a deficiency. Our faith is one, and our witness must likewise be one.”

The new leader of the Chaldean Church paid tribute to those who have guided it through some of the most difficult years of its modern history. He thanked his predecessor, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, for decades of service and leadership, and also acknowledged the dedication of bishops, priests, monks, and religious sisters who have accompanied the faithful through war, persecution, displacement, and exile.

Paul took as his episcopal motto, “Do not be afraid; only believe,” and his homily called on all the faithful to resist the paralyzing effects of fear, but to cling to faith.

“Fear is often a natural reaction at its beginning, and sometimes even a necessary one. But the problem does not lie in the existence of fear. It lies in surrendering to it without discernment or resistance,” the Patriarch explained, warning that this could lead to a “process of inner closure.”

“The true confrontation with fear is not to deny it but to transform it into a point of encounter with God. This happens when I say, ‘Yes, I am afraid, but despite this, I choose to trust.’ Here, the heart begins to open again.”

Speaking directly to the faithful of the Chaldean Church that he now leads, the Patriarch urged: “Do not let fear write the final chapter of your story. Faith is the final word.”

“I begin my mission as Patriarch and Father of our Chaldean Church: with trust, despite the presence of fear; with faith, despite our knowledge of the challenges, and with openness to all, despite the temptations of withdrawal and closure.”

– Filipe d’Avillez