Patriarch Sako: Ready to give myself for our Church and Iraq
(Vatican Radio) In an exclusive interview with Vatican Radio, His Beatitude
Louis Raphael Sako I reveals his hesitation upon being elected Patriarch of Babylon
of the Chaldeans, but also his readiness to serve and to give himself up “for the
benefit of our Church and of Iraq”.
The former Archbishop of Kirkuk was elected
Patriarch of one of the oldest churches in the world Thursday night by his fellow
bishops. The vote came after four days of "intense" work at the Synod convoked to
Rome by Pope Benedict XVI to elect the successor to His Beatitude Emmanuel III Delly.
The
64 year-old leader of the Church in Iraq and its wider Diaspora told Emer McCarthy
his hesitation stemmed from his deep awareness of the challenges that his Church and
nation face, first among these, the quest for unity. Listen:
“I
hesitated and was afraid because the future is not clear. You know this charge is
heavy, it is not easy knowing the challenges of our Church and country. But I am
ready to serve and to give myself up for the benefit of our Church and of Iraq”.
Q:
A native of Mosul, to date you were Archbishop of Kirkuk in Northern Iraq, what
do you see as the greatest challenges ahead for your Church?
“For
the Chaldean Church it is the unity of the bishops, the reforms of our liturgies,
we should reform and update them so people can pray and understand and live out their
faith. But also the security and peace in the country. There is no stability and
the security is getting worse, everybody is worried. Also, for me as head of this
Church, immigration is a big challenge for us”.
Q: You have been a stalwart
in inter-religious dialogue, how important is this for the future of Christians in
Iraq?
“I think this is the only way to get out from our barriers. With
Islam there is a possibility of dialogue, when they realise that we respect them,
we love them and we are open to them. They appreciate this. As maybe you heard in
Kirkuk we haven’t had any problems with the Muslim community everybody respects us
and in several mosques the Imams speak well of Christians and their role in bridging,
in helping and I think this is a good way to witness our faith and to incarnate our
charity”
Q: How can the churches in the West, particularly the Latin Church,
help Iraq’s Christians?
“Solidarity. Be close to us. We are one of the
oldest churches in the world and what we need is the closeness of our sisters and
our brothers, their prayers and solidarity. And if they can also, from time to time,
the churches in the north or in Baghdad, in Kirkuk to show us their solidarity and
save these churches. Support our religious freedom. There is no one religion of
the state and others of second category but all should be at the same level”.
Born in Zakho (Iraq) July 4, 1948, Patriarch Sako completed his primary studies
in Mosul, before attending the local seminary of St. John, run by the Dominican Fathers.
Ordained
a priest on June 1, 1974, he undertook the pastoral service at the Cathedral of Mosul
until 1979. Sent to Rome, he attended the Pontifical Oriental Institute, receiving
his doctorate in Eastern Patristics. He later received his doctorate in history from
the Sorbonne in Paris. On returning to Mosul in 1986, he was appointed parish priest
of the Parish of Perpetual Help.
From 1997 to 2002 he held the office of Rector
of the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He then returned to Mosul took over pastoral
care of the Parish of Perpetual Help until the election as Archbishop of Kirkuk September
27, 2003. He received episcopal ordination on 14 November.
He has published
several books on the Fathers of the Church and several articles. Apart from Arabic
and Chaldean, the Patriarch speaks German, French, English and Italian.