Kate Anderson
Daily Caller News Foundation
The Iraqi government called U.S. Ambassador Alina Romanowski to Baghdad after the State Department made critical remarks about the government’s dismissal of a Vatican-appointed bishop, according to Reuters.
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid recently rescinded a decree recognizing Cardinal Louis Sako the head of the Chaldean Catholic church in Iraq and all of its assets, claiming that no other state entity should appoint religious leaders in Iraq, according to Reuters. Rashid called Romanowski to Baghdad Wednesday after State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the U.S. was disturbed by the Iraqi government’s decision.
Rashid issued a presidential statement, saying that he was “disappointed by accusations leveled against the Iraqi government” and had no intention of undermining Sako, according to Reuters. He claimed the decision was an attempt to correct a previous error, saying that heads of religious institutions should not be recognized by entities outside of the Iraqi government.
Sako, who helped organize a visit by Pope Francis to Iraq in 2021, left Baghdad for Kurdistan after the government seized control of the church’s assets, according to Reuters. The priest has been engaged in a dispute with a Christian Iranian-backed militia and has called on the government to protect Christians from the group, according to The National.
Miller said during a press briefing that he hoped the cardinal would return to the area in the near future.
“I will say we are disturbed by the harassment of Cardinal Sako … and troubled by the news that he has left Baghdad,” Miller said. “We look forward to his safe return. The Iraqi Christian community is a vital part of Iraq’s identity and a central part of Iraq’s history of diversity and tolerance.”
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Miller also noted that the U.S. was in touch with Iraqi leaders and expressed concern that the decision was spurred on by a militia group, according to the briefing. The Vatican also issued a statement, saying that it “regrets the misunderstandings and inappropriate dealings concerning the role of … Sako as the custodian of the properties of the Chaldean Church,” according to Reuters.
A State Department spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the situation would be addressed in a briefing Thursday.
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