Chaldean Patriarchate clarifies Sako’s use of ‘normalization’ following Christmas Mass

BAGHDAD — The Chaldean Patriarchate in Iraq issued a clarification early Thursday after Patriarch Louis Sako used the term “normalization” during Christmas Mass, saying he meant normalizing the world’s relations with Iraq, not Iraq normalizing ties with Israel.

In a statement, the Patriarchate said the “normalization” Sako referred to was the need for countries and peoples to engage with Iraq as “the cradle of religions,” and was not a call for Baghdad to establish relations with Israel. The Patriarchate attached a previously published video in which Sako expressed the same view, including his “rejection of Zionism,” while calling for “the normalization of the world, with all its religions, with Iraq.”

Sako’s remarks drew attention after they were delivered in the presence of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Al-Hikma Movement, and senior religious figures.

“The Patriarch Sako said everyone should normalize with Iraq, not with any other country,” the statement said, adding that Sako has previously argued that encouraging engagement with Iraq would support tourism.

During the Mass, Sako addressed al-Sudani, saying: “Mr. Prime Minister, there is talk about normalization, and I hope the new government will ensure that normalization is in Iraq and with Iraq, because Iraq is the land of Abraham and the land of the prophets. The Talmud was written in Babylon, near us, and the whole world should come to Iraq and not to any other place.”

Sako used the Arabic word “al-tatbi‘,” a term that in Arabic political discourse commonly refers to normalizing ties with Israel, prompting public debate before the Patriarchate issued its clarification.

Al-Sudani, speaking during the same Mass, affirmed Iraq’s rejection of normalization with Israel, according to the draft.

Sadr Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr later called on authorities to take action against anyone advocating normalization with Israel. “There is no place for normalization or its legitimization in Iraq,” he said, urging punishment for anyone who calls for it.

Sako’s comments come after a prolonged dispute over his status. In July 2023, President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid revoked a 2013 presidential decree recognizing Sako as head of the Chaldean Church, prompting Sako to move from Baghdad to Erbil in protest. In November 2023, the Federal Supreme Court upheld Rashid’s decision and dismissed Sako’s lawsuit. On June 11, 2025, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani reinstated Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldeans in Iraq and worldwide, ending months of tension, according to the draft.