The United States Congress has sent two separate letters to Iraqi President Latif Rashid and PM Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, urging them to restore Patriarch Sako’s authority to administer the Chaldean endowment.
"We write to implore you to reinstate official recognition of His Beatitude Patriarch and Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako as the head of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and the world, restore Patriarch Sako’s authority to administer the Chaldean endowment, and withdraw or dismiss the unjust
charges of defamation brought against him," Congress members, Elissa Slotkin and John Moolenaar, wrote in their joint letter to the Iraqi president.
"On July 3, 2023, you revoked Republican Decree No. 147, which had officially recognized Patriarch Sako as the head of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and had acknowledged the Patriarch’s authority to administer the Chaldean endowment since 2013," reads the letter.
The recent annulment of Decree No. 147 raises doubts about whether Patriarch Sako will retain his administrative authority over the Chaldean endowment or if a state-appointed representative with conflicting interests will take over, the congress members added.
"Therefore, we urge you to reinstate official recognition of Patriarch Sako as the head of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and affirm his authority to administer the Chaldean endowment."
On July 12, 2023, the Iraqi High Judicial Council issued a summons for Patriarch Sako to appear in court, accusing him of defamation. The Council warned that failure to comply within 48 hours would lead to an arrest warrant. As a result of these government actions, Patriarch Sako had to leave the Patriarchal Headquarters in Baghdad to ensure his safety, the letter continued.
"As you can imagine, the Christians of Iraq and the large community in the United States are deeply concerned, as are so many others who may not be Christian but who believe in the freedom of religion and who fear the targeting of any one religious group for
political reasons."
The timing and political backdrop of Decree No. 147's revocation and the subsequent court order against the Patriarch give rise to significant political and constitutional concerns. These issues center around the apparent targeting of Christian minority leaders within Iraq's legal system.
"We therefore urge you to reinstate the Patriarch legally and officially as the head of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and the world, restore his authority to administer the Chaldean endowment, and withdraw or dismiss his arrest warrant," they stressed.
In a similar letter, Slotkin and Moolenaar thanked Prime Minister Sudani for hosting a delegation of Members of Congress in November 2022 to discuss his "policy priorities" for Iraqi people as well as for US-Iraq relations, including Sudani's efforts to support Iraq’s religious and ethnic minority communities.
"As part of these efforts, we write to implore you to reinstate official recognition of His Beatitude Patriarch and Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako as the head of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and the world, restore Patriarch Sako’s authority to administer the Chaldean endowment, and withdraw or dismiss the unjust charges of defamation brought against him."