The New Chaldean Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church was officially installed on Friday, 29 May, 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.
The pastoral vision of the New Chaldean Patriarch
The newly enthroned leader stated that both those who remain in Iraq and those in the diaspora have an important mission. In a written homily shared with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), he underlined the importance of identity and endurance:
“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 civilisation”.
To those who have left in search of safety and stability, the Patriarch added that they 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 III Nona is familiar with both sides of this divide , having served as the Archbishop of Mosul until 2014, when he had to flee along with the entire Christian community when the region was overrun by the Islamic State , before spending several years ministering to the Chaldean diaspora in Australia.
As archbishop in Mosul, he was already a project partner of ACN, and the charity has worked closely with the Chaldean Church over the years to sustain it through its darkest hours in Iraq. Regina Lynch, executive president of ACN, wrote in congratulations to the new Patriarch stating 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 to the leaders of other Christian Churches in Iraq attending his enthronement, the Patriarch noted 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 guided the institution through some of the most difficult years of its modern history, thanking his predecessor, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, for decades of service and leadership, and acknowledging the dedication of bishops, priests, monks and religious sisters who accompanied the faithful through war, persecution, displacement and exile.
Taking as his guiding motto “Do not be afraid; only believe”, he called on all the faithful to resist the paralysing effects of fear and cling to faith. He explained that while fear is often a natural and sometimes necessary reaction at its beginning, the problem lies in surrendering to it without discernment or resistance, 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, the Patriarch urged: “do not let fear write the final chapter of your story, faith is the final word”. He concluded by reaffirming his mindset for the new chapter: “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”.
