Twelve Chaldean religious men and priests living in the United States, Canada, Australia and Sweden have been suspended from exercising their priestly ministry for not receiving permission from their superiors before emigrating from Iraq.
At least three of those suspended had been serving the Chaldean diaspora in the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle of San Diego since leaving Iraq.
The sanctions went into effect on 22 October following repeated, but "unfortunately unfruitful ultimatums" from the men's religious orders or bishops, said a written decree signed by Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad. The decree was translated into English from Arabic and is published on the patriarchate's official web site, saint-adday.com.
The decree thanked Fr Paulus Khuzeran, a religious who had been living in the United States, and Fr Yousif Lazghin, a priest who had been living in Australia, for deciding to obey their superiors and return to their assigned place of ministry.
After informing the Vatican Congregation for Eastern Churches, and consulting with the permanent Synod of the Chaldean Church and the men's superiors, Patriarch Sako had announced last month that there would be canonical penalties for those who did not speak with their bishop or the superior of their religious community about either returning to their community or working out a potential transfer.
Those who failed to take those steps before 22 October were to be suspended from the priesthood.
The escalating turmoil and violence in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003 have triggered hundreds of thousands of Iraq's Christian minorities to flee their nation.
The decree listed the following six monks and six priests as being "suspended from practising priestly ministry: Frs Noel Gorgis; Andraws Gorgis Toma; Awraha Mansoor; Patros Solaqa; Fadi Isho Hanna; Ayob Shawkat Adwar; Fareed Kena; Faris Yaqo Maroghi; Peter Lawrence; Remon Hameed; Hurmiz Petros Haddad; and Yousif Lazgeen Abdulahad.
Meanwhile exiled Iraqi Christians have recorded a song about what it means to be “N”, the Arabic symbol denoting Nazarene or Christian that was daubed on the doors of their home by Isis jihadists who demanded they flee, convert, pay a tax or be executed.
In the song, Christians who have fled their homes in Mosul and Qaraqosh say that being “N” means to believe, be peaceful and forgive.
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Above: Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad, Iraq. Photo: CNS/Paul Haring
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