Monday, Tammuz 17, 6773
For Immediate Release:
On July 7, 2023, the President of Iraq, The Honorable Abdul Latif Rashid, issued a decree removing Cardinal Mar Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church Worldwide, from overseeing the endowment of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq. The Chaldean Catholic Church, one of the Assyrian Eastern rites of Christianity, has held control over church properties and other religious affairs, including but not limited to inheritance and marriage, for centuries.
The withdrawal of the 2013 executive order by President Abdul Latif Rashid is discriminatory against Assyrians, the true indigenous people of Iraq, and disrespects the long-standing tradition in the Islamic world of respect for the Assyrian people.
We call upon the President of Iraq to immediately restore the 2013 Executive Order made by his predecessor and ask the House of Representatives to immediately pass a law codifying the executive order to prevent such actions from being repeated in the future.
Assyrian Universal Alliance
Executive Board